Carbon dioxide pools found in Aegean Sea

New York: Researchers have discovered iridescent white pools containing high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) at 250 metres depth in the waters off Greece's Santorini island in the Aegean Sea. Santorini is also the site of the second largest volcanic eruption in human history. The results may answer some questions about deep sea carbon storage as well as provide a means of monitoring the volcano for future eruptions.

The researchers used a series of sophisticated underwater exploration vehicles to locate and characterise the pools, which they call the Kallisti Limnes, from ancient Greek for "most beautiful lakes." A prior volcanic crisis in 2011 had led the researchers to initiate their investigation at a site of known hydrothermal activity within the Santorini caldera.

During a preliminary reconnaissance of a large seafloor fault, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Girona 500 from the University of Girona in Spain identified subsea layers of water with unusual chemical properties. The researchers then sent a smaller remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to sample the pools' hydrothermal fluids. Sensors installed by the team showed that the Kallisti Limnes temperature was five degree Celsius above that of surrounding waters.