Ridge Flux Project: Long-term Deep Sea Floor Monitoring in Southern East Pacific Rise

摘要

The main purpose of the "International Cooperative Research on the Energy and Mass Flux of Ridge Crests," which is called "Ridge Flux Project," is to evaluate quantitatively the fluxes of energy and mass from the solid earth to its surface environment through hydrothermal activity along the oceanic ridges. It was carried out from 1993 to 1998 through Special Coordination Funds of the Science and Technology Agency of the Japanese Government. Special emphasis is placed on superfast-spreading East Pacific Rise (EPR) between 13°S and 19°S where these fluxes are proved to be the highest among the world oceanic ridges.