Deep-Sea Vents: Smoke and Fire Underwater

This dataset is a movie about hydrothermal vents at volcanoes in the deep sea, formatted specifically for NOAA's Science On a Sphere. Viewers experience virtual dives to underwater volcanoes spewing hot water and learn that life can thrive near these extreme environments. We visit vents at a hotspot volcano, at a volcano on a convergent boundary, and at a volcano on a divergent boundary - the mid-ocean ridge. The movie highlights the Pacific Ring of Fire, interweaving global datasets with imagery of the seafloor obtained from deep-diving vehicles.

The movie is aligned with the following Earth Science Literacy Principles and Ocean Literacy Principles:

• Earth Systems Literacy Principal 4.5.: Many active geologic processes occur at plate boundaries.
• Earth System Literacy Principal 6.9.: Life occupies a wide range of Earth's environments, including extreme environments at seafloor vents.
• Ocean Literacy Principal 7.d.: New technologies, sensors, and tools are expanding our ability to explore the ocean.

Also available is a full live program of datasets, including scripts and playlists, found in the Live Programs catalog.

Length of dataset: 4:59