©2026 Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office.Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation
©2026 Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office.The Heatflow probe is a temperature measuring device on the submersible Alvin. It is a 0.6 m titanium tube containing a linear heater and 5 thermistors. The Heatflow probe is designed to measure temperature gradients when inserted into soft sediments.
Heat Flow Probe (from https://ndsf.whoi.edu/alvin/systems/)
Alvin has a 0.6-meter long, five-element temperature sensor. This is used to measure temperature gradients when inserted into soft sediments. Measurable temperature range is 0 to 40 °C, with 0.2 degree accuracy and .001 degree resolution. Additionally, a temperature pulse can be generated and monitored to observe temperature decay in sediments. Data from the heat flow probe is normally displayed on the observer's internal video overlays and is additionally recorded in the submersible's computer data files. Water weight is 4 lbs, and basket space is required to carry the unit and quiver.
| Dataset Name | PI-Supplied Description | PI-Supplied Name |
|---|---|---|
| Counts of faunal colonists found on experimental settlement surfaces deployed at Tica Vent in East Pacific Rise on R/V Atlantis cruise AT42-21 and R/V Roger Revelle cruise RR2102 from Dec 2019 to Apr 2021 | Heat Flow Probes (temperature sensors): used to measure maximum temperatures below sandwiches on both HOV Alvin and ROV Jason during the colonization experiment, measurable temperature range is 0 to 40 °C, with 0.2 | Heat Flow Probes |
| Temperature profiles of hydrothermal sediments measured by HOV Alvin’s heat flow probe in Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vents, RV/Atlantis cruise AT42-05, Nov. 2018 | A Heatflow probe manufactured by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was used to measure temperature profiles. This is a 0.6 m titanium tube containing a linear heater and five thermistors (type 44032, Omega Engineering, Inc.) at 10 cm intervals along the length of the tube (personal communication with Lane J. Abrams, WHOI). The thermistors have a tolerance of +/- 0.2 up to 40C, and +/- 1 C up to 200C. https://ndsf.whoi.edu/alvin/using-alvin/sampling-equipment/ | Heatflow probe |
| Hydrothermal sediment temperature profiles sampled near Beggiatoa mats using Alivn's heatlow and temperature probes, deployed from R/V Atlantis cruises AT15-40, AT15-56 in the Guaymas Basin from 2008-2009 | A Heatflow probe manufactured by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was used to measure 69 of the 78 temperature profiles. The thermistors have a tolerance of +/- 0.2 up to 40 degrees C, and +/- 1 up to 200 degrees C. | Alvin Heatflow Probe |