Anna Michel is working to develop an instrument that could directly measure chemical elements just as they emerge from the seafloor and spew from hydrothermal vents. That laser sensor would be mounted onto one the of the manipulator arms of a remotely operated vehicle such as Jason. ?We would be able to observe the composition of vent fluids in their natural environment, under real conditions,? Michel said. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)[back]
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