Table 1. Summary of distribution of hydrothermal vent field, research effort, and families identified from cruise reports and databases by biogeographic province.
| Biogeographic Province | Active, confirmed vent fields | Vent fields in EEZs | Vent fields in ABNJ | Vent fields in mining leases | Research cruises | Available cruise reports | Families sampled | ChEssBase families |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 1 |
| Indian Ocean | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 7 | 33 | 6 |
| Mediterranean | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 0 |
| Mid-Atlantic Ridge | 27 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 61 | 27 | 53 | 119 |
| Mid-Cayman Spreading Center | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 0 |
| Northeast Pacific (Juan de Fuca Ridge) | 20 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 14 | 16 | 86 |
| Northern East-Pacific Rise | 37 | 14 | 23 | 0 | 31 | 8 | 36 | 104 |
| Southern East-Pacific Rise | 29 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 61 | 69 |
| Southern Ocean | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 1 |
| Northwest Pacific | 51 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 40 | 106 | 55 |
| Southwest Pacific | 68 | 67 | 1 | 33 | 44 | 16 | 54 | 56 |
Note:
Confirmed Vent Fields, Vent Fields in EEZs, Vent Fields in High Seas, and Vent fields in Mining Leases from Beaulieu et al. (2013). ChEssBase accessed via Ocean Biogeographic Database System (Ramirez-Llodra & Blanco, 2005).