AUV Surveys Japan's Largest Chimney Fields
Image: International Submarine Engineering
Japan Coast Guard’s Explorer AUV surveys largest chimney fields ever discovered in Japan
The ISE Explorer AUV Gondou, owned and operated by the Japan Coast Guard, performed survey operations in Japanese territorial waters from mid 2014 through March 2015.
These operations were undertaken primarily in the Okinawa Trough, and numerous sites were mapped using assorted sensor packages.
The surveys’ results identified the largest seafloor massive sulphide hydrothermal vent chimney fields ever discovered within Japan's EEZ.
February 2025
