Objectives are to (1) define temporal variability in suspended and settling hydrothermal particle fluxes and understand the relationship of the fluxes to regional deep sea flow and (2) to use key compositional variables to define mechanisms and rates of particle removal. The data from two moorings in Endeavor segment of Juan de Fuca Ridge will be used. Data from one of the moorings will extend the time series of data obtained from earlier moorings; the other mooring will provide data from closer to the vent field than earlier moorings. %%% One component of the seafloor hydrothermal system is the plume discharge into the deep ocean. Little is understood about the details of this process. The principal investigator on this project is one of the leaders in the field on this subject and this project is an extension of his pioneering work.
