SGER: A Seafloor Camera System for Flow Rate Measurements in Black Smoker Vents

SGER：用于黑烟囱通风口流量测量的海底摄像系统

• 批准号: 0917955
• 负责人: Timothy Crone
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Columbia University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-05-15 至 2011-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0917955&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Seafloor; Camera; System; Flow

The PI has requested funding to develop and test a seafloor camera system that can measure fluid flow through black smoker hydrothermal vents using video image analysis. Fluid flow through black smoker vents plays a significant role in the exchange of heat and chemicals between the oceanic crust and the ocean. This flow delivers energy to a diverse subseafloor ecosystem and serves to link tectonic and magmatic processes to chemical and biological processes. Measurements of fluid flow in these systems are essential for measuring fluxes and understanding complex systematic linkages. Despite the importance of measuring fluid flow rates, there is currently no instrument capable of obtaining long term flow measurements in black smoker vents. High temperatures, low pH, and mineral precipitation make invasive techniques infeasible. To address this problem, The PI proposes to develop a non-invasive image-based instrument to obtain flow rates in black smoker vents. This camera system will employ a new technique for measuring black smoker flow, called Optical Plume Velocimetry (OPV), which has been developed in the laboratory and has been shown to work well on simulated black smoker flows. Broader ImpactsThis study will develop an instrument that will increase our ability to understand the hydrology of marine hydrothermal systems and a variety of related processes, including the interactions between geomechanical processes and other processes such as heat and chemical transport and biological productivity. The development and field test of this technology will open up a wide range of possible experiments at many vent fields on the mid-ocean ridge. This work will also support the work of a young scientist. Crone has a strong record of public outreach through the media, and communicating his results to scientific and general audiences.

PI 已请求资金来开发和测试海底摄像系统，该系统可以使用视频图像分析来测量通过黑烟热液喷口的流体流量。通过黑烟喷口的流体流动在洋壳和海洋之间的热量和化学物质交换中发挥着重要作用。这种流动向多样化的海底生态系统提供能量，并将构造和岩浆过程与化学和生物过程联系起来。这些系统中的流体流量测量对于测量流量和理解复杂的系统联系至关重要。尽管测量流体流量很重要，但目前还没有仪器能够获得黑烟囱通风口的长期流量测量。高温、低 pH 值和矿物质沉淀使得侵入性技术不可行。为了解决这个问题，PI 建议开发一种非侵入式基于图像的仪器来获取黑色烟囱通风口的流速。该相机系统将采用一种称为光学羽流测速（OPV）的新技术来测量黑烟气流量，该技术是在实验室开发的，并已被证明在模拟黑烟气流量方面效果良好。更广泛的影响这项研究将开发一种仪器，提高我们了解海洋热液系统水文学和各种相关过程的能力，包括地质力学过程与其他过程（例如热和化学输送以及生物生产力）之间的相互作用。这项技术的开发和现场测试将为大洋中脊的许多喷口区开辟广泛的可能实验。这项工作也将支持一位年轻科学家的工作。克龙在通过媒体进行公众宣传并向科学界和普通受众传播他的研究结果方面有着良好的记录。