Gakkel Ridge is classified as a mid-oceanic ridge. At a length of about 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles), it is located beneath the Arctic Ocean between Siberia and Greenland. It is 2.9 to 4.8 kilometers (1.8 to 3.0 miles) beneath the ocean’s surface. The ridge is a slow spreading ridge that moves only about one centimeter each year.

In 1999, Gakkel Ridge was discovered to contain active volcanic action when scientists in a nuclear submarine explored it. Other exploratory missions since then have discovered evidence for deep-sea hydrothermal vents.

Hydrothermal vents, also called black smokers, are fissures (cracks) in the Earth’s surface where geothermally heated water is found. They are often found near active volcanic areas, tectonic plates that move away from each other, and ocean basins.

The steep, rocky Gakkel Ridge is thought to be a perfect place for scientists to discover still unknown species of marine life, both plant and animal. They will use high-tech autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), named PUMA and Jaguar, for their exploration of the ridge. Each robot costs just under $500,000.

Funding for the robots came primarily from NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)  because the organization is interested in the mission, which is similar to what they expect to find on a future space mission to Jupiter's moon Europa.

It is an especially important area of the world because the space between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are located along the ridge. In addition, the discovery of hydrothermal vents at Gakkel Ridge makes scientists think that new life could be harbored around the hot springs created at this tectonic boundary where cold ocean waters meet hot magma coming up out of the Earth’s mantle.

Such life, if it does exist here, may be very different from other life on the Earth. Scientists believe that the Gakkel Ridge has been isolated from other ecosystems for over 28 million years. The water at the bottom of the Gakkel Ridge is also believed to be devoid of oxygen, and has been this way for over 17 million years. If so, strange and unique living things could be found that have never before been seen by humankind.

PUMA and Jaguar will descend to about 5,000 meters (3.1 miles), near the bottom of the ridge. They will operate from five to six meters (16 to 20 feet) off the ridge’s bottom. They are specifically designed to operate in the cold and treacherous waters of the Arctic Ocean. PUMA and Jaguar, along with another unmanned submersible called Camper, were developed by WHOI engineer Hanumant Singh.

The Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition is lead by U.S. geophysicist Robert Reves-Sohn, who is part of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He will lead an international team of scientists and engineers from the United States, Japan, Germany, and Sweden.

The journey begins out of the port of Svalbard, Norway on July 1, 2007, aboard the Swedish icebreaker Oden. PUMA will be sent to the ocean’s bottom first when the team gets to Gakkel Ridge. Once it locates hydrothermal vents, Jaguar will be sent to photograph it. Camper will then be lowered into the water to collect rocks, sediment, and even living creatures.

They return from the mission on August 10, 2007.

Additional information on the Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition is located at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution website: http://polardiscovery.whoi.edu/expedition2/index.html.

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Jupiter  NASA  Ocean  Research  Science  William Atkins