Fluorescence at the hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: a proof of concept and the potential for ecological assessments
Abstract
For the first time, the fluorescence of the hydrothermal vent communities of the Lucky Strike vent field (1700m depth on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) was visualised using a non-invasive illumination method featuring a royal blue excitation light and a yellow barrier filter. Dominant fauna at the active vents consisted of Bathymodiolus azoricus mussels whose shells fluoresced and alvinocaridid shrimp with fluorescent spots on the carapax. Less conspicuous organisms such as gastropod limpets and pycnogonids exhibited remarkable fluorescence as well, facilitating their detection considerably. Besides the potential of this experimental setup as a detection tool it was also tested for its usefulness for ecological assessments using thresholding in image processing, which neatly separated fauna from substrata.
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BibTeX
@article{cuvelier2026fluorescence,
title = {{Fluorescence at the hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: a proof of concept and the potential for ecological assessments}},
author = {Daphne Cuvelier and Laurent Bignon and Eric Aujard-Catot and Guillaume de Parseval and Olivier Fauvin},
journal = {Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1016/j.dsr.2026.104759},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05854065v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fluorescence at the hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: a proof of concept and the potential for ecological assessments
AU - Daphne Cuvelier
AU - Laurent Bignon
AU - Eric Aujard-Catot
AU - Guillaume de Parseval
AU - Olivier Fauvin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
DO - 10.1016/j.dsr.2026.104759
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05854065v1
AB - For the first time, the fluorescence of the hydrothermal vent communities of the Lucky Strike vent field (1700m depth on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) was visualised using a non-invasive illumination method featuring a royal blue excitation light and a yellow barrier filter. Dominant fauna at the active vents consisted of Bathymodiolus azoricus mussels whose shells fluoresced and alvinocaridid shrimp with fluorescent spots on the carapax. Less conspicuous organisms such as gastropod limpets and pycnogonids exhibited remarkable fluorescence as well, facilitating their detection considerably. Besides the potential of this experimental setup as a detection tool it was also tested for its usefulness for ecological assessments using thresholding in image processing, which neatly separated fauna from substrata.
SN - 0967-0637
SN - 1879-0119
ER -