Here, in this one place, all the major earth and ocean processes are represented. Life forms that were once beyond even our imaginations thrive at hydrothermal vents. Earthquakes are born from the shifting of myriad faults.
Bottom currents complete their grand tour having hugged the seafloor all the way from Antarctica.
River-carried sediments rush to sea during storms, carving offshore canyons as they go. Blue whales are thought to reach the northernmost end of their migration. Salmon follow ancient pathways. A series of mini-observatories, connected by cables, will be equipped with a variety of instruments to collect data from the tops of the waves to below the seafloor. The system will have an expected lifetime of three decades.