Divers investigate third geothermal field in Eyjafjörður

A third underwater geothermal field has been found in Eyjafjörður, where researchers are studying heat-loving organisms, mbl.is reported. The newly discovered field is marked by hot freshwater rising through holes in the seabed rather than by chimney-like formations.

Some of the openings are small, while others reach up to a metre across, diver Erlendur Bogason said. He oversees diving in the fjord’s protected areas and said the new field is as remarkable as the two existing ones, though different.

The Ystuvíkurstrýtur formations were protected in 2001 and the Arnarnesstrýtur in 2007. They were the first seabed natural features in Iceland to receive protected status. Bogason said the new field could also merit protection, but no steps have been taken toward that so far. Its location is being kept secret while research and mapping continue.

Bogason said the hot freshwater environment could provide opportunities to study marine organisms that live in warm freshwater surrounded by seawater. Researchers connected with MIT in Boston visited last year, and funding was later secured to collect DNA samples and examine the organisms. Further sampling and mapping are planned.

A BBC team has also been gathering material at the fjord’s geothermal chimneys in recent days. Ingibjörg Marta Bjarnadóttir of Iceland’s Nature Conservation Agency confirmed that the team applied for permission, but the project was not deemed to require a permit. The team is working with Bogason’s diving company.

The fjord’s chimneys have attracted attention before. Nearly 10 years ago, BBC presenter and astrophysicist Brian Cox visited the formations and said life on Earth began under conditions similar to those found there.