Hydrothermal Vents Worksheet
Vent Boiling Points:
* Explain why the boiling point of water changes with depth in the ocean
The deeper you go into the ocean, the more pressure there is. At sea level, the pressure equals one atmosphere, but every ten meters you go, the pressure increases by one atmosphere. As pressure increases, so does the boiling point of water. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level, but at 2000 meters it is 370 degrees Celsius, and when you reach 6000 meters it becomes 480 degrees. Vents are located at the bottom of the ocean, so water boils at a very high temperature there.
Vent Chemistry:
* Explain how the water chemistry changes in the hydrothermal vent system
Soon after the water enters the crust, oxygen and potassium are removed from it. Slightly deeper in, calcium, sulfate and magnesium are removed. Even deeper, beneath the pillow basalt, sodium, calcium and potassium from the surrounding crust enters the fluid. Still deeper in, where the fluids have reached their highest temperatures, copper, zinc, iron and sulfur from the crust dissolve in the fluid. The liquid rises through the crust to the vent, where it goes back into the ocean, mixing with cold, oxygen-rich seawater. Once in the water, the metals and sulfur form black metal-sulfide minerals. This process adds a lot of new chemicals to the seawater surrounding the vents.
Vents Around the World:
* Where can hydrothermal vents be found? Give a few examples.
Most of the world's hydrothermal vents are found along the Mid-Ocean, since in order for vents to form, volcanic activity needs to be present and magma needs to be nearby, which usually is only present at divergent boundaries. However, some vents are located in the middle of plates, like the vents in Hawaii, and the on-land vents in Yellowstone National Park. Other on-land vents include the ones on the North Island of New Zealand
Vent Life:
*Name some of the critters found around hydrothermal vent systems
Tubeworms, zoarcid fish, bacteria and Archea, jelly-fish related animals, whose colonies look like dandelions, and several different species of octopuses, mussels, crabs, shrimp and clams.
Tubeworm Anatomy:
* Describe the tubeworm anatomy. Explain the symbiotic relationships that are found within tubeworms
On top of the tube worm is a red organ called the plume. It is red because it is filled with blood that has hemoglobin. It extracts oxygen, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from the sea water and transports it to the cavity. Directly beneath the cavity is a muscle that holds the worm in its tube. The worm tube is a white casing that runs the length of most of the worm. It is made of chitin, the same hard material on the outside of shrimp and crabs. It protects the worm from toxins and predators, and functions as a skeleton. A worm can never leave its shell. Inside the shell is a cavity. It is filled with bacteria, which produce sugars via chemosynthesis. The worm absorbs some of these sugars.
Chemosynthesis:
* Explain the different between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
In photosynthesis, the leaves of the plant capture sunlight and carbon dioxide. Then, the leaves use water and the sun's energy to convert the carbon dioxide into sugars. Then they release oxygen into the air. In chemosynthesis, hydrothermal vents push out water containing hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide is taken in by microbes, along with oxygen and carbon dioxide.These microbes break down the hydrogen sulfide into energy, and use this energy and oxygen to turn carbon dioxide into sugars. Finally, the microbes release sulfur and water.
* Explain why the boiling point of water changes with depth in the ocean
The deeper you go into the ocean, the more pressure there is. At sea level, the pressure equals one atmosphere, but every ten meters you go, the pressure increases by one atmosphere. As pressure increases, so does the boiling point of water. Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level, but at 2000 meters it is 370 degrees Celsius, and when you reach 6000 meters it becomes 480 degrees. Vents are located at the bottom of the ocean, so water boils at a very high temperature there.
Vent Chemistry:
* Explain how the water chemistry changes in the hydrothermal vent system
Soon after the water enters the crust, oxygen and potassium are removed from it. Slightly deeper in, calcium, sulfate and magnesium are removed. Even deeper, beneath the pillow basalt, sodium, calcium and potassium from the surrounding crust enters the fluid. Still deeper in, where the fluids have reached their highest temperatures, copper, zinc, iron and sulfur from the crust dissolve in the fluid. The liquid rises through the crust to the vent, where it goes back into the ocean, mixing with cold, oxygen-rich seawater. Once in the water, the metals and sulfur form black metal-sulfide minerals. This process adds a lot of new chemicals to the seawater surrounding the vents.
Vents Around the World:
* Where can hydrothermal vents be found? Give a few examples.
Most of the world's hydrothermal vents are found along the Mid-Ocean, since in order for vents to form, volcanic activity needs to be present and magma needs to be nearby, which usually is only present at divergent boundaries. However, some vents are located in the middle of plates, like the vents in Hawaii, and the on-land vents in Yellowstone National Park. Other on-land vents include the ones on the North Island of New Zealand
Vent Life:
*Name some of the critters found around hydrothermal vent systems
Tubeworms, zoarcid fish, bacteria and Archea, jelly-fish related animals, whose colonies look like dandelions, and several different species of octopuses, mussels, crabs, shrimp and clams.
Tubeworm Anatomy:
* Describe the tubeworm anatomy. Explain the symbiotic relationships that are found within tubeworms
On top of the tube worm is a red organ called the plume. It is red because it is filled with blood that has hemoglobin. It extracts oxygen, hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide from the sea water and transports it to the cavity. Directly beneath the cavity is a muscle that holds the worm in its tube. The worm tube is a white casing that runs the length of most of the worm. It is made of chitin, the same hard material on the outside of shrimp and crabs. It protects the worm from toxins and predators, and functions as a skeleton. A worm can never leave its shell. Inside the shell is a cavity. It is filled with bacteria, which produce sugars via chemosynthesis. The worm absorbs some of these sugars.
Chemosynthesis:
* Explain the different between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis
In photosynthesis, the leaves of the plant capture sunlight and carbon dioxide. Then, the leaves use water and the sun's energy to convert the carbon dioxide into sugars. Then they release oxygen into the air. In chemosynthesis, hydrothermal vents push out water containing hydrogen sulfide. The hydrogen sulfide is taken in by microbes, along with oxygen and carbon dioxide.These microbes break down the hydrogen sulfide into energy, and use this energy and oxygen to turn carbon dioxide into sugars. Finally, the microbes release sulfur and water.