General features of hydrothermal plumes

4 Biogeochemical interactions in hydrothermal plumes 8.2.4.1 General features of hydrothermal plumes 

Hydrothermal plumes are the water column manifestation of mid-ocean ridge hydrothermal activity (e.g. Baker etal., 1995). They form above areas of venting as a result of the buoyancy of the heated fluids as the fluids rise, they entrain ambient seawater, thus continuously increasing the plume volume until neutral buoyancy is achieved and the plume disperses laterally (Baker etal., 1995). These warm, buoyant plumes rise up to several hundred metres above the seafloor and extend for several kilometres away from vents [e.g. see reviews by Baker 

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