Jorge of Norway writes:
Researchers have found a 1,500 km volcanic mountain chain hidden off the coast of Svalbard, which could soon break the surface to form a new island chain.
Dag Rune Olsen, rector of the University of Bergen, where the researchers are based, told The Local that the findings were like a “moon landing in the deep sea.”
“We probably know even less about the very deep seas and oceans then we know about the moon,” he said. The range extends from Jan Mayen island in the Greenland Sea to the Fram Strait between Svalbard and Greenland. It comprises hundreds of volcanos, some just 20m below the surface.
The new discovery comprises hundreds more volcanoes, some just 20m below the surface.
…
The ridge was first glimpsed in 2008, but this is the first time detailed mapping has been done.
“We have found volcanoes at such a shallow level and they could break the surface at any time and form a new island group,” Pedersen told VG newspaper.
“We have long known that Iceland has both volcanic activity and hot springs, but we thought that we did not have anything like that in Norway. But we do, it was only under water,” he added.
http://www.thelocal.no/20130802/Volcanic-range-discovered-in-Norwegian-waters
Note: The Norwegian version of this text speaks about the activity of those volcanoes and 1200° C magma I don’t know why that information isn’t included in the English version.
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Ed MacAulay at 10:03 am
Really good, made me laugh!
Thanks.
Paul Marko says:
August 2, 2013 at 12:34 pm
Presumably the “detailed mapping” include sonar imaging from underwater systems.
One of the less detailed mapping techniques, perhaps the source of the Google maps images, is satellite sea-level topography. Given the rock is denser than water, the seafloor shows up as a inverted surface “reflection” that can be measured by satellites.
See http://topex.ucsd.edu/marine_topo/
kuhnkat says:August 2, 2013 at 10:11 am
I notice the Nat’l Geo article you linked to attributes volcano formation to CO2. There is truly nothing it can’t do. 😉
‘”we thought that we did not have anything like that in Norway. But we do, it was only under water,” he added.”
Pretty loose use of “in”.
Thank you Robert W Turner @ur momisugly 1.36pm – I was looking for that article as it sets up the whole row of volcanoes running under the arctic.
Village Idiot says:
August 2, 2013 at 12:35 pm
If the intrepid Norwegians had looked at Google maps, maybe they could have found it sooner?
Google maps wouldn’t have helped. Google Earth does not show the depths and there’s no indication that the peaks are as near the surface as 20 meters. That’s what’s interesting.
As this is on the Mid Atlantic ridge (clearly shown on imagery associated with this post), why is anyone surprised that there is “volcanic mountain chain” here ?? Only those that failed Geology 101 should be surprised …. and I am guessing that would mostly be politicians & bureaucrats who the authors of the original study would like additional funding from (Look – we discovered a new volcanic mountain chain – give us more money to study it).
It’s really a sad state of affairs this represented as anything new but it is an insight to how modern science is done – alarmism to get further research funding & done via press release to try to get a greater public audience & support for their cause. This the reason all science, not just climate science. is loosing all credibility.
As a scientist & a geologist, the who whole thing makes me sick.
“Professor Rolf Birger Pedersen, Centre Manager of the Centre for Geobiology at the University of Bergen says: that it is only a matter of time before the massive volcanic mountain chain breaks the surface.
He confirmes that there are active volcanoes, and that they have registered CO2 gas comimg out of them. He expects that the volcano can break the surface at the next volcanic eruption.
In the future, he believes that the volcano could affect the mainland too.
– We expect that, and that it can cause ash deposition in Norway, as we have seen earlier by volcanic eruptions such as on Jan Mayen.”
“- About 50 new species is associated with these areas, Pedersen says to Dagbladet.
These new species has created its own peculiar ecosystem around the so-called chimneys on the bottom. These sizzling springs spewing 320 degrees hot water, full of minerals and chemicals. Unlike other familiar and beloved wildlife, these new species that scientists have discovered does not rely on the sun to gain energy, but lives on the substance that comes out of the smokestacks.” – Dagbladet http://m.db.no/2013/08/01/nyheter/innenriks/forskning/vulkan/28490961/?www=1
What’s the effect of this on local water temperatures???
Scientists had previously thought of the oceans as being a carbon sink, says O’Hanlon. This reverses that belief, changing the oceans into a carbon source.
This is what I’ve been saying all along. “We have it backwards: Rising CO2 levels don’t cause warmer seas, warmer seas cause higher CO2 levels. (“Not by Fire but by Ice,” p. 192)http://www.iceagenow.com/Underwater_volcanoes_Bake_Sediments-Add_to_Warming.htm
it takes roughly a cubic meter of 1200 C lava to melt ten cubic meters of ice , but then, the midinght sun deposits the same amount of heat per square meter in about a month.
Since the volume of the Arctic ocaen is ~five orders of magntiude larger than the average annual eruptive volume of the ridge, it really doesn’t signify.
Russel,
You are aware of hot springs and other geothermal sources that heat water 24×7 without flowing lava??? You are aware of hydrothermal vent systems that run along the oceanic ridges and most of the plate conjunctions along with other areas?? While lava flows may be intermittent and rare, the vents are continuous with temps as high as 400c.
http://www.iceagenow.com/Eruptions_as_big_as_Pompeii_under_Arctic_ice.htm
This ship? http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=DBBT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RV_Maria_S._Merian
Kev-in-Uk says:
August 2, 2013 at 9:46 am
If I were to sit there in the area waiting patiently on my boat for some land to surface- could I claim an ‘island’ for myself – would it be classed as a new territory/land? just wondering aloud……
After about ten minutes another guy in a boat would turn up and either tell you that you owe tax on your new island or he can help you claim large grants to fight rising sea levels!!!!
I’m with DaveF you’d have to call it “Craggy Island”
James Bull
Russel is very clever, not. Your figures do not compute.
Plus you said
Quote
Since the volume of the Arctic ocaen is ~five orders of magntiude larger than the average annual eruptive volume of the ridge, it really doesn’t signify.
Unquote
For starters “what is the annual eruptive volume of the ridge?”, gen that not only was it unknown, neither was the fact that is was not a single eruption but hundreds?
No need either to consider the Arctic but the local area for heating effects.
Seems you making up numbers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing new here, this group is part of the oceanic ridge system where new ocean crust is being made. All part of plate tectonics and our dynamic earth.
And yes the local ocean currents will have been modified already. The ridge system is some 2.5Km below the surface so these have been building for thousands/millions of years depending on the volcanic activity level.
A quiet sun seems oft to be associated with increased volcanism, might be some good fire works over the next decade or two. It could end up a bit serious.
We know more about the surface of the Moon than we know about the surface of the Earth beneath its oceans and seas.
Are we to believe that the US Navy did not have detailed maps of this area for decades?
I don’t have any more data than anyone else, but we can do some sums. Hopefully people can correct me…
Wikipedia says the Gulf Stream delivers 1.4X10^15 watts. Allowing for the split of the canary current, radiative losses and a large margin of error to a round number, say 5X10^14 Watts in the vicinity of Svalbard.
a Hydrothermal Vent at 400C spewing at 1m/s delivers roughly1X400X4.2X10^6 watts per m^2 of vent. That works out to 1.7X10^9 Watts/m^2.
So the amount of heat delivered by Volcanism is significant in as far as the total vent area compares to 5X10^14/(1.7*10^9) =5X10^5/1.7~=300000m^2.
So 300m^2 of vent changes the heat content of the current by 0.1%. Probably significant and much more than I expected. The wild guesses above are almost certainly wrong, but the situation really is very interesting! Given Hundreds of volcanoes and ‘numerous’ vents, there is plenty of scope for various parameters to be lower and still see some effect.
Kev-in-Uk says: “If I were to sit there in the area waiting patiently on my boat for some land to surface- could I claim an ‘island’ for myself – would it be classed as a new territory/land? just wondering aloud……”
The time and money would be better invested in a timeshare in some warmer latitude, Kev. And it just so happens, I’d be willing to sell you my unit in Mt. Pinatubo Estates, a tropical paradise high above the blue waters of the Western Pacific…
L’ha ribloggato su planetvoicee ha commentato:
Amazing discover …..researchers found a new volcanic area near the Svalbard Islands….read the article for more …….Tnx to WAWT
kuhnkat says
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/06/080626-arctic-volcano.html
Hmmm, first excess seismicity was noticed around 1999 on the Gakkel ridge. Lemme think, when did the ice loss go into overdrive in the Arctic?? Wasn’t that around 2000 according to NASA???
===
Notable warming of N. Atl SST and change in pattern of Arctic ice area started around 1997. Compared to the usual cycles there appears to have been a significant and rapid increase in SST around 1997-99 with a lesser drift until 2007.
Rate of change in sea ice area seems to have followed that with the main negative rate of change (ice loss) occuring between 1997 and 2007:
http://climategrog.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=160
Greg,
“Notable warming of N. Atl SST and change in pattern of Arctic ice area started around 1997. Compared to the usual cycles there appears to have been a significant and rapid increase in SST around 1997-99 with a lesser drift until 2007.
Rate of change in sea ice area seems to have followed that with the main negative rate of change (ice loss) occuring between 1997 and 2007:
http://climategrog.wordpress.com/?attachment_id=160”
So, why don’t you also tell me about the sun heating the earth??
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I do appreciate you NOT mentioning that CO2 continues to rise!!
Above plot could predate the start due to the low pass filter, if it was a sudden change. I’ll look a but closer.
http://climategrog.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/open-mind-or-cowardly-bigot/ddt_arctic_ice/
same data with lighter filter also shown. No step change or major event but time scale seems in fairly close agreement with the beginning of excess of underwater volcanism.