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Art and Science

March 31, 2013

MIT-WHOI Joint Program student Jill McDermott processes samples from hydrothermal vents on the Mid-Cayman Rise on the Caribbean seafloor during an expedition in 2012. Discovered in 2009, some of these vents are the deepest known, nearly 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) deep, and they spew fluids reaching almost 400°C (750°F). Other nearby Mid-Cayman vents circulate through rocks not typically found in seafloor crust. Their unusual mineral composition alters the vent fluids’ chemistry, which is the focus of McDermott’s research. McDermott also recently participated in a different sort of project called Synergy, in which she collaborated with an artist to create artwork based on her research. (Photo courtesy of Jill McDermott, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)