Why study Hydrothermal Plumes?
Hydrothermal fluids mix rapidly with seawater. Entrainment of ambient seawater dilutes the rising plume and causes temperatures and particle concentrations within the plume to decrease within a short distance from a vent orifice. Hydrothermal plumes continue to rise through seawater as long as plume fluids are less dense (more buoyant) than the surrounding seawater. Once the density of the hydrothermal plume matches the density of the ambient seawater, the hydrothermal plume stops rising and begins to disperse laterally. This “neutrally buoyant plume” gets distributed by being “blown” by ocean currents at that density level. The greatest change in intensity of heat or particles within the plume occurs relatively near the source (within a few kilometers). Throughout the processes of rising, mixing with ambient seawater and subsequent advection away from the area of the source, the plume undergoes changes. The evolution of vent fluids and particles can only be studied by finding the plum
