Boiling Fluids On the Seafloor

Boiling is a common phenomena at seafloor hydrothermal vents. Here, Gina Hansen, an undergraduate in Bioengineering, discusses a novel instrument called a temperature-resistivity probe that is designed to go inside the throat of black smoker chimneys to measure the temperature and salinity of black smoker fluids. The process of boiling fundamentally changes the composition of vent fluids, and efficiency of metal deposition, hence it is an important process in these extreme environments where fluids can reach >700°F.