Short-term temperature variability in the Rose Garden hydrothermal vent field: an unstable deep-sea environment

Abstract

Abstract Temperature was measured within the animal communities of the Rose Garden hydrothermal vent field with three thermistors that were left in place for a period of 72 h. The highest mean temperature (5.54°C) was measured at a thermistor placed in the central clump of vestimentiferan worms, while the lowest mean value (2.26°C) was recorded over the basaltic substrate. The temperature of the ambient water in the field was 2.07°C. The site with the highest temperature was characterized by extreme variability in the temperature, with minimum values of 2.16°C and maximum values of 14.81°C. The temperature fluctuated over all of the time scales studied from 1 s to 72 h. There was no clear periodicity to the temperature fluctuations, however. These temperature fluctuations must have significant impacts on adaptations, by the animals of the vent community. In fact, the variability in temperature may be more important to the community than the mean temperature value to which they are exposed.