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Veirs et al. 2006
Veirs, S.R., McDuff, R.E. and Stahr, F.R. (2006). Magnitude and variance of near-bottom horizontal heat flux at the Main Endeavour hydrothermal vent field. Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems 7: doi: 10.1029/2005GC000952. issn: 1525-2027.

We characterize hydrothermal plumes and hydrography within the axial valley of the Endeavour segment (Juan de Fuca ridge, northeast Pacific) using data from an autonomous underwater vehicle, a lowered CTD, and two current meter moorings. Our survey of the Main Endeavour hydrothermal vent field (MEF) shows hydrographic variability on scales as short as ~20 m and ~10 min. Within the ~100 m deep axial valley, the mean flow is 1--5 cm/s to the north, and tidal oscillations have ~5 cm/s amplitude. Combining the mean flow with an estimate of the difference in average temperature observed north and south of MEF, we find that the net along-axis horizontal heat flux has a mean magnitude of ~8--42 MW. An advection/diffusion model forced by local current records explains the observed temporal hydrographic variability and shows that mean horizontal flux variance is correspondingly high (standard deviation ~63 MW). A steady state MEF heat budget, constrained by the observed horizontal flux and measurements of vertical fluxes from other studies, has two implications: the MEF heat flux is partitioned about equally between diffuse and focused vents, and about 85% of the flux from diffuse plumes is entrained by focused plumes.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Biogeosciences, Hydrothermal systems (1034, 3017, 3616, 4832, 8135, 8424), Geochemistry, Mid-oceanic ridge processes (3614, 8416), Marine Geology and Geophysics, Heat flow (benthic)
Journal
Geochemistry Geophysics Geosystems
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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