Ocean Fund Recognition Probe

1999/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ozeanografia

The probe developed by the engineers of Jet Propulsion Laboratory can be initiated in the future towards the satellite Europe of Jupiter, with the aim of studying the ocean supposedly underlying the local ice layer. But, for now, it will be used on Earth itself to study the chimneys of deep seabed volcanoes or the giant Antarctic Lake Vostok.

The probe passed the preliminary test at the Monterrey Aquarium. Its appearance is cylindrical, is built to withstand the harsh conditions of the seabed and is equipped with cutting-edge tools. The probe has been used in waters of the Tahiti area to study the creation and development of life in the surroundings of the chimney of the volcanoes of the seabed. These chimneys, located at the limits of the tectonic plates, constitute the oasis of life of the frozen seabed, with temperatures between 80 and 400 °C.

To demonstrate the usefulness of the probe, it will be adapted to work in icy environments and Antarctic Vostok will be used to study the ice lake bottoms. The 4.000 m deep freshwater lake will be the forerunner of work in space.