MSI Public Lecture Series

The Gakkel Ridge is the slowest-spreading and most inaccessible portion of Earth’s mid-ocean ridge system. Its axial valley lies at depths of 3000 to 5000 meters beneath the Arctic ice cap. Hydrothermal vents (hot springs) are ubiquitous along the mid-ocean ridges, but are of particular interest on the Gakkel Ridge because of the slow spreading rate and because of the isolation of the Arctic basin from other, well studied portions of the mid-ocean ridge system. The search for hydrothermal vents on the Gakkel Ridge, and for the novel life forms that probably inhabit them, began in 2001 with the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition (AMORE). The data from this expedition revealed evidence for several vent sites on the Gakkel Ridge. Finding these vent sites under the ice required the development of new techniques and new robotic vehicles. The Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE) in 2007 marked our first opportunity to return and test these new technologies. This lecture will tell the story of both expeditions, and the ongoing search for new life forms at the top of the world.

Dr. Hedy Edmonds is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas Marine Science Institute where she studies Marine Chemistry. To find out more about Dr. Edmond’s work, go to: http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/people/staff/edmonds