HACON
Hot vents in an ice-covered ocean
Hot Vents in an Ice-Covered Ocean
HACON will conduct the first full-scale multidisciplinary study of deep (4000 m) hydrothermal vents under permanent ice cover in the Arctic, investigating the Aurora vent field (82°N) in the Gakkel Ridge, which was discovered in 2014 during the German AURORA cruise. HACON will unravel the geochemical and physical processes that shape the Aurora biological communities and assess the role played by the Gakkel Ridge in connectivity of chemosynthesis-based ecosystems between ocean basins. The project will provide empirical robust data of a pristine system prior to expected climate-change variations and increased human activities in the Arctic region.
Images: C. German, copyright WHOI; A. Purser, copyright AWI
About
PROJECT BACKGROUND Forty years after the discovery of hydrothermal vents, research into these unique habitats and their ecosystems is still in the exploratory phase. These recent discoveries have changed the way we understand life on Earth, have challenged knowledge of the origin of life…
Results
The count down has started!
7 days until many of the HACON cruise participants meet in Longyearbyen! 9 days until we sail on board R/V Kronprins Haakong to the Gakkel Ridge! The way to Aurora. Photo: C. German, WHOI. Our team of 37 geologists, geochemists, physical oceanographers, micropaleontologists, microbiologists,…
Jan 2019: First Cruise Planning meeting
The HACON cruise planning is well underway! During 2.5 days, the HACON science team met with the engineers of the ROV Ægir, the hybrid ROV/AUV NUI, the towed system OFOBS and key personnel from the Kronprins Haakon icebreaker to start planning the cruise. The…
November 2018: HACON begins!
This exciting multidisciplinary and international project started on 1st November 2018. HACON has secured shiptime on board the Norwegian icebreaker Kronprins Hakon for a cruise to the 4000 m deep Aurora vent site under the ice-covered waters of the Arctic at 82 N, NE of Greenland. The cruise…
