Study sites within the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument

Since the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, scientists have been perplexed by the question: How are these vent sites colonized and, more specifically, How are the faunal populations established and maintained at these very discrete and often ephemeral habitats? The cruise in September 2010 will visit three of the Vents (Volcanic) Unit sites in the U.S. Marianas Trench Marine National Monument: South Backarc (also called Snail), Archaean, and Pika. The larval studies that we will conduct with our Japanese colleagues will help address the question of how populations of vent-endemic species are connected at hydrothermal vents within the Monument. For more information about the Monument, which was established in 2009, please see: http://www.fws.gov/marianastrenchmarinemonument/. You can see a map of the Monument on the Friends of the Monument blog: http://marianamonument.blogspot.com/2009/06/mariana-trench-marine-national-monument.html.