cpc272688 at yahoo.com (Remond) wrote:
>When someone know that the temperature in a hydrothermal vent can
>reach 400 degrees Celsius, he will think that this place(hydrothermal
>vent) is not a good place for life. But after many years of search,
>many scientists prove the existence of many forms of life live around
>these vents by using the submersible Alvin. The question is: How these
>forms of life can stand with this extreme temperature?
>
The important quote from your question is "many forms of life
live AROUND (empahsis mine) these vents"
The temperature in the seawater around these vents is
nowhere near 400 degrees Celsius. Many organisms
are found near the vents becuase the vent fluids are
abundant in nutrients and as a localized heat source.
The 400 degree fluid mixes with the relatively cold
seawater and the temperature drops very rapidly
away from the vent.
Greg Muncill
Silver Spring, MD
