Seafloor Pressure Sensor V17

Deploying Pressure Sensor at Axial Base
Live Pressure Data from the Seafloor

A pressure sensor deployed on the seafloor is powered up for the first time through fiber optic cables, sending data live to the ship >8000 feet above.

 

Photo credit: NSF-OOI/UW/CSSF

Real-time measurements provided by seafloor pressure sensors are of great importance because lunar tides, storms, and tsunamis strongly impact pressures at the seafloor and the flow of fluids into and out of the oceanic crust.

In 2014, seafloor pressure sensors were placed at Axial Base (MJ03A), Slope Base, (MJ01A), and the Southern Hydrate Ridge Summit (LJ01B).