About this Research Topic
Seafloor fluid and gas emissions were shown to be oceanographically widespread as researchers are still discovering new shallow and deep water hydrothermal vents and cold seeps (further on called HV/CS). The vent activities change with locality and time, and why certain organisms can adapt there largely remains to be discovered. Seafloor seep emissions play a critical role in global biogeochemical cycles, but also contribute to the development of economically important mineral deposits that are increasingly targeted for exploitation. HV/CS
host unique microbiological and faunal communities that provide clues to life on early Earth, and
seafloor fluid and gas emissions play a complex role in microbial dispersal, ocean chemistry,
plankton and benthos adaptation to these unique environments, their dynamics and evolution,
and to some extend the global climate. This Research Topic will address knowledge gaps by linking
geochemistry, physics and geology of seafloor emissions, with macro/ microbiology, and explore
the economic potential, conservation efforts, risk assessments, as well as the sustainable development of HV/CS.
Since most aspects of submarine HV/CS seafloor activities still remain unknown we have limited
understanding of how these systems interact with and influence the broader ocean, recent
explorations are illuminating a causal link between the solid earth and ocean function. We still
know little about these ecosystems that every survey and investigation of these communities
represents a substantial and valuable gain in knowledge. This Research Topic welcomes studies
from a broad range of HV/CS environments worldwide, from the deep sea to the marine shallows
and from a broad range of methods – e.g. from biogeochemical measurements to multiomics.
Contributions from original research, perspectives, reviews, mini-reviews, and opinion papers are
welcome but are not limited to issues such as:
- Multidisciplinary studies linking chemistry, physics, hydrology and/or geology of HV/CS to
micro-/macrobiota
- Economics of exploiting minerals/gases associated with HV/CS
- Conservation and management principles for extreme habitats HV/CS at the seafloor
- Role of seafloor emissions on ocean chemistry and global biogeochemical cycles including
interaction with living beings
- New discoveries of hydrothermal or cold seep fields and analysis of seep geological drivers
and biological interactions
- Conservation of selected HV/CS sites as marine reserves and as areas of relatively pristine
studies for long-term scientific research is also important before commercial exploitation
of these submarine resources is considered
- Lateral and vertical transport mechanisms of HV/CS plumes into the ocean in
various systems (shallow, deep) and interactions with biota
- Impacts of hydrothermal activity on surface and deep ocean geochemistry: the
distribution, speciation, and bioavailability of biogeochemically-relevant and toxic trace
elements, their isotopes, organic matter, and gasses, and their interactions with the biota
- Impacts of hydrothermal/cold seep activity on the sea surface, biotic oceanic communities
(viruses, bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton), diversity, and activity and the biotic impact
of stressors on marine biogeochemical carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles (nutrient
uptake, productivity, export); fertilization vs toxic effect
- HV/CS fluid impact on the physiological functioning and ecotoxicology of organisms as
well as ecosystem functioning
- HV/CS patterns and constraints of geological and biological spatio-temporal evolution
where benthos, plankton and surface water/ atmosphere relations interact.
- Research based on a variety of field approaches, including in situ and satellite
observation, process studies in controlled or semi-controlled systems, modeling,
laboratory, and omics approaches are welcome if related to field observations
host unique microbiological and faunal communities that provide clues to life on early Earth, and
seafloor fluid and gas emissions play a complex role in microbial dispersal, ocean chemistry,
plankton and benthos adaptation to these unique environments, their dynamics and evolution,
and to some extend the global climate. This Research Topic will address knowledge gaps by linking
geochemistry, physics and geology of seafloor emissions, with macro/ microbiology, and explore
the economic potential, conservation efforts, risk assessments, as well as the sustainable development of HV/CS.
Since most aspects of submarine HV/CS seafloor activities still remain unknown we have limited
understanding of how these systems interact with and influence the broader ocean, recent
explorations are illuminating a causal link between the solid earth and ocean function. We still
know little about these ecosystems that every survey and investigation of these communities
represents a substantial and valuable gain in knowledge. This Research Topic welcomes studies
from a broad range of HV/CS environments worldwide, from the deep sea to the marine shallows
and from a broad range of methods – e.g. from biogeochemical measurements to multiomics.
Contributions from original research, perspectives, reviews, mini-reviews, and opinion papers are
welcome but are not limited to issues such as:
- Multidisciplinary studies linking chemistry, physics, hydrology and/or geology of HV/CS to
micro-/macrobiota
- Economics of exploiting minerals/gases associated with HV/CS
- Conservation and management principles for extreme habitats HV/CS at the seafloor
- Role of seafloor emissions on ocean chemistry and global biogeochemical cycles including
interaction with living beings
- New discoveries of hydrothermal or cold seep fields and analysis of seep geological drivers
and biological interactions
- Conservation of selected HV/CS sites as marine reserves and as areas of relatively pristine
studies for long-term scientific research is also important before commercial exploitation
of these submarine resources is considered
- Lateral and vertical transport mechanisms of HV/CS plumes into the ocean in
various systems (shallow, deep) and interactions with biota
- Impacts of hydrothermal activity on surface and deep ocean geochemistry: the
distribution, speciation, and bioavailability of biogeochemically-relevant and toxic trace
elements, their isotopes, organic matter, and gasses, and their interactions with the biota
- Impacts of hydrothermal/cold seep activity on the sea surface, biotic oceanic communities
(viruses, bacteria, phytoplankton, zooplankton), diversity, and activity and the biotic impact
of stressors on marine biogeochemical carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles (nutrient
uptake, productivity, export); fertilization vs toxic effect
- HV/CS fluid impact on the physiological functioning and ecotoxicology of organisms as
well as ecosystem functioning
- HV/CS patterns and constraints of geological and biological spatio-temporal evolution
where benthos, plankton and surface water/ atmosphere relations interact.
- Research based on a variety of field approaches, including in situ and satellite
observation, process studies in controlled or semi-controlled systems, modeling,
laboratory, and omics approaches are welcome if related to field observations
Keywords: Hydrothermal Systems, Hydrocarbon Seep, Cold Seep, Gas Chimney, Seep Ecology, Methane Plume, Mud Volcano, Trace Element Speciation and Complexation, Bentho-Pelagic, Pelagic-Atmosphere Coupling, Biodiversity, Ecotoxicology, Omics, Policy
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
