Scientists have discovered further proof that the ocean is a vast and mysterious world that hides wonders. Recently, researchers at the Schmidt Ocean Institute found a unique ecosystem under the sea with amazing species.
The discovery was made during an expedition into volcanic cavities of hydrothermal vents in the East Pacific, in Central America. The unknown habitat is home to many species such as snails, worms, crabs and chemosynthetic bacteria that survive in water at 25°C.
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"Our understanding of animal life in deep-sea hydrothermal vents has been greatly expanded by this discovery," said Dr. Monika Bright of the University of Vienna, team leader.
For the past 46 years, researchers have analyzed hydrothermal vents, and now they can announce the existence of an entire ecosystem at different levels of the Earth. seabed.
How was the mysterious ecosystem discovered?
According to the information, the scientists were on an expedition aboard the
ship research facility with an underwater robot called the SuBastian ROV. Thus, when investigating the volcanic crust of the region, they discovered animals at different levels.“There are two dynamic ventilation habitats. Ventilation animals above and below the surface thrive together in unison, depending on the fluid ventilation from below and oxygen in the sea water from above", clarified Bright about the new ecosystem.
It was already scientific knowledge that animals lived in underground sea cavities. However, the recent expedition provided evidence about which species inhabit these places.
Therefore, the team of Dr. Monika Bright became the first to identify tube worms on the seabed.
Another interesting fact is that the animals in this habitat travel through ventilation fluids and move to colonize new areas and form hydrothermal communities elsewhere.
(Image: Schmidt Ocean Institute/Reproduction)
The underwater robot experiment
To further identify animal interactions in vent fluids, the researchers used the ROV SuBastian underwater robot to glue mesh boxes into cracks in the crust. After a few days, "animals living below the surface in hydrothermal vents" were found.
Now, the results of the discovery will be further analyzed by the team. For the president of Schmidt Ocean Institute, Wendy Schmidt, this remarkable research demonstrates the urgent need for us to continue exploring the ocean to discover what really lies at the bottom of the sea.
