Sonar Observation of Heat Flux of Diffuse Hydrothermal Flows

Abstract

This article extends the work reported in Xu et al. (2021) with the goal of quantifying the heat output from a portion of the ASHES Vent Field on Axial Seamount. The earlier article gives references to the literature as well as a detailed description of the data provided by the Cabled Observatory Vent Imaging Sonar (COVIS). Diffuse discharges of hydrothermal fluids take many forms and may originate from the sides of sulfide mounds, isolated cracks, lava tubes, and areas of permeable seafloor (