Scientists working on a research ship in the Arctic Ocean may have discovered a giant underwater volcano. According to The Independent, the crew aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Healy were working on a project to map the seafloor off the coast of Alaska when they found a new volcano-like formation deep in the ocean waters. The volcano-like structure sits more than 1,600 meters from the water’s surface and scientists have detected a possible gas plume rising from it. However, as the structure is so far under the water, it poses no threat to those on land. 

“These findings are exciting and offer insight into what may exist beneath the ocean’s surface, much of which is unknown in this region,” said Captain Meghan McGovern from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), per The Independent. 

The Cutter Healy is the Coast Guard’s only icebreaker designed to support research. The research teams included members from the National Science Foundation, the University of New Hampshire, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

The recent trip was part of a larger project called the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study, which was enacted to evaluate the need for establishing vessel routing measures. The mission’s actual aim was to ensure that ships using these seas avoid clashes with other ships or underwater hazards.

The Healy has since returned to Seattle, Washington. It left Washington for Arctic deployment in June.

“It’s an honour supporting such diverse research missions in the northern high latitudes while working towards enhancing navigation safety in a region where soundings are sparse,” said the Healy’s Commanding Officer Captain Michele Schallip.

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“As scientific interest in the Arctic Ocean Basin grows, Healy is on the front-line providing access to the scientific community facilitating Arctic research opportunities while inspiring future chief scientists. Our crew remains committed to ensuring we are ready to meet the challenges unique to operating in the austere environment to see the completion of these vital missions,” he added. 

Underwater volcanoes, also known as submarine volcanoes or seamounts, do not produce the spectacular eruption events of some of their land counterparts, but undersea volcanic activity is a constant process that shapes the features of the ocean, per Global Foundation for Ocean Exploration. Some oceanographers estimate that there may be as many as one million volcanoes on the Pacific Ocean floor alone – roughly 750 times the number on dry land.

The US government is decisively intervening to prevent the planned expedition to recover artefacts from the Titanic wreck next year, referring to a federal law and an international pact that recognise the shipwreck as a revered burial site.

The expedition is being organised by RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST), a company based in Georgia that holds the salvage rights to the most well-known shipwreck in the world. This company showcases artefacts that have been retrieved from the location resting at the depths of the North Atlantic, encompassing items ranging from silverware to a segment of the Titanic’s hull.

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According to The New York Times, the federal government is taking legal action to assert control over who can recover artefacts from the storied liner and, potentially, to block an expedition planned for next year. The move comes as the Titan submersible disaster of June 18 raised questions about who controls access to the ship’s remains, which lie more than two miles down on the North Atlantic seabed. The legal action is also notable because it pits the legislative and executive branches of government against the judicial branch.

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The federal government is now seeking to become a party to the salvage case and block any expedition it deems objectionable. It claims the legal right to have the Secretary of Commerce and its maritime unit, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, approve or deny permission to RMS Titanic whenever “the company” seeks the court’s permission to conduct more artefact recoveries, reported the news outlet.

“This has been a long time coming,” Ole Varmer, a retired lawyer for NOAA who specialises in shipwreck conservation, told the NYT.

The federal government, he added, “has been forced to intervene as a party and ask the court to enforce these laws.”

In 1912, during its inaugural journey from Southampton to New York, the ship collided with an iceberg and subsequently sank, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,500 lives among the 2,208 passengers and crew on board.

One of the primary concerns of the US government is the potential disruption of any human remains that could still be present.