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1 Laboratoire de Physique des Oceans, IFREMER, Plouzané, France
2 Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
The physics of high-temperature hydrothermal venting and in particular the effects of the buoyancy flux on the background oceanic circulation are reviewed. The central theme is that the venting is dynamically active and forces oceanic flows on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Vent fluid is not simply advected by the prevailing currents, but can actively set the scales of the flow. The cascade of scales (from fast to slow and small to large) discussed is: the buoyant plume, lateral spreading and mesoscale geostrophic vortices and the basin-scale plume. The focus is on models and observations relevant to the last two phases for which the Earth’s rotation plays a significant part. Some discussion of the observational requirements for the resolution of these flows is given. The fact that small-scale buoyant convection can drive flows on scales many orders of magnitude larger can have important effects on the dispersal of vent fluid, estimates of hydrothermal heat flux and the establishment and maintenance of vent field biological communities.
