Icelandic vent fields host distinct, non-endemic marine communities

A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science compares two hydrothermal vent fields north of Iceland and finds that fine-scale habitat differences shape distinct marine communities. Researchers analyzed the Kolbeinsey and Grimsey systems, treating them as different depth zones rather than replicates of one vent type. Kolbeinsey is a shallow shelf habitat around 100 meters deep, dominated by pillow lava and cobble with localized high-temperature venting. Grimsey sits around 400 meters, an upper-slope, sediment-hosted setting with active anhydrite chimneys and hot sediments. Using IceAGE_KR cruise data from July 2021—ROV video frame grabs plus physical macrofaunal sampling—the team reports higher megafaunal richness at Kolbeinsey (65 taxa from 719 frames) and different faunal patterns overall, providing a biodiversity baseline to guide vent-field-specific conservation.