INFOGRAPHIC: Observatory Safely Studies Deep-Sea Life

[Ryan Goble]

Great infographic from the Dec. 2011 issue of Wired Magazine...

Observatory Safely Studies Deep-Sea Life

Miles below the ocean’s surface lies one of the most inhospitable habitats on the planet. Deep inside subterranean cracks, where seawater seeps through the perpetually hot rock in Earth’s crust, there’s a surprisingly rich ecosystem of microorganisms. Scientists have long been eager to study these creatures—along with the larger geological setting—but drilling holes in the seafloor large enough to drop instruments down floods the habitat with cold water and kills off the fauna. That’s where a type of rig called a Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kit, or CORK, comes in. Researchers install these observatories in boreholes, with a two-story-tall wellhead that forms a seal to protect the environment below—and a half mile or so of instrumentation. Here’s how.

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