Vent Value

Humans have known about deep-sea hydrothermal vents only since 1977, when an expedition using the submersible Alvin explored a site in the Pacific along the mid-ocean ridge. Vents have been found to host a stunning variety of organisms—many previously unknown to science—as well as an abundance of minerals that could be retrieved by mining the seafloor. They also provide a range of planetary services like nutrient cycling. An interdisciplinary project launched by biologist Stace Beaulieu, geologists Chris German and Maurice Tivey, and policy analyst Porter Hoagland aims to assign monetary value to these services, which could resolve critical questions about seafloor mining. (Photo by Chris German and the Jason Group, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)