How can robots investigate underwater volcanoes?

What do you do when the subject of your research lies deep beneath the waves? Send down an underwater robot, of course! We chat to volcanologist Sofia Della Sala about her recent fieldwork expedition to Santorini, where she used a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, to search for hydrothermal vents in the Aegean Sea. These vents - which are like hot springs on the sea floor - could provide vital insight into the volcanic and tectonic activity in the region.

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How can robots investigate underwater volcanoes? is an episode from Oxford Sparks Big Questions by Fiona Jones.

This episode is 13:56 long.

This episode was published on Apr 30, 2025.

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