The EMSO-France Research Infrastructure gathers the French scientific actions carried out on seafloor observatories. One of them, installed at the axis of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south of the Azores Islands, has the scientific objective of observing in real time the environmental processes associated with the interactions between the lithosphere, the biosphere and the hydrosphere.
DEAFS: Deep-Sea autonomous and automated Fluid Sampler
We have designed, built and deployed at 1700 m below sea level an autonomous and sequenced hydrothermal fluid sampling module at the IR – EMSO-Azores Seafloor Observatory. The DEAFS is the first prototype in the world and represents a significant advance in the monitoring of focused hydrothermal activity since it allows automatic and sequenced sampling of hot hydrothermal fluids (up to 400ºC), source of life for macro- and micro-fauna in the deep marine environment.
Collaboration with TOP Industrie S.A.S. (France)
o Partnership: Toulouse-Tech-Transfert
o Funding: CNRS – Equipement Mi-Lourd, CNRS- Defi Instrumentation aux limites, ANR – LuckyScales
o Patent: 2016. Underwater sampling device. Ref : HICH-2541-10
This instrument has been deployed at the EMSO-Azores seafloor observatory for sampling of high temperature hydrothermal fluids.
DEAFS module before its deployment in July 2017 © V. Chavagnac, A. Castillo, P. Gisquet, G. Mérian
BIOLUCKY: Dispositif de colonisation microbienne
We have designed, fabricated and deployed two geo-microbiological colonizers for extreme environments in hydrothermal systems.
o Partnership: Toulouse-Tech-Transfert
o Collaboration: C. Rommevaux, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (M.I.O., Marseille).
o Financing: Investment contract in technological maturation.
o Patent: 2018. Geomicrobiological colonization device. Ref : B18-3553FR.
This instrument has been deployed on the EMSO-Azores seafloor observatory to study the microbial diversity associated with the dynamics of hydrothermal activity. Two versions of this instrument exist: one autonomous and the autonomous one adaptable to the DEAFS.
Biolucky module in autonomous version © V. Chavagnac, A. Castillo, P. Gisquet, G. Mérian
IONASEA : In situ Ocean Nucleic Acid SEquential sAmpling and Storage, en cours de développement
Collaboration: C. Rommevaux, Mediterranean Institute of Oceanology (M.I.O., Marseille); D. Kouach and E. Carré, Groupe d’Instrumentation Scientifique (GIS, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse)