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Postcard from Hawaii

On the way to the Loih’i Seamount off the coast of the island of Hawai’i, the exploration vessel Nautilus passed the last remaining location where lava has been entering the ocean since just after Mt. Kiluea began erupting in May. WHOI geochemist Chris German is Science Lead for this expedition which is part of the multi-disciplinary, multi-year SUBSEA (Systematic Underwater Biogeochemical Science and Exploration Analog) research program, a partnership between NASA, NOAA, and academic centers including WHOI. The SUBSEA program seeks to improve methods to search for life elsewhere in our solar system, including the ability to search for alien life in other ocean worlds. On this cruise, the team are investigating microbial life associated with the shallow hotspot seamount, Lo’ihi, as an analog for similarly shallow and moderate-temperature vents on Saturn’s moon Enceladus. (Photo by Chris German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)