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We take a look at what's going on beneath the oceans
Most of the deep sea is unknown territory. In fact, more is known about the surface of the Moon than the deep ocean...Earth's final frontier.
Study of the deep oceans is a relatively young science. The first ocean surveys were conducted in the 1870s, on the Challenger expeditions.
Current research is multi-disciplinary, with scientists from different backgrounds coming together and pooling their discoveries to build up a picture of what is down there at the bottom of the deep, deep sea.
Conditions at such extreme depths are very different to those on land…temperatures are lower, pressure is higher, food is more sparsely distributed and it is very, very dark! Any life that exists down there has to be well-adapted to these conditions, which for us would be too harsh to survive.
In 1977, an amazing discovery was made two and a half kilometres below the surface…hydrothermal vents. These are chimney-like structures on the sea floor which develop when water seeps into cracks in the Earth's crust, and is spewed out again, super heated and containing a rich cocktail of minerals and toxic compounds.
The discovery was totally unexpected, and even more incredible was the fact that the vents supported a rich ecosystem. With microbes at the bottom of the food chain, the vents also support giant clams, tube worms and shrimp.
The deep sea, and it's remarkable features, are investigated by scientists using mini-submarines and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) - like the one that was used recently to find the Titanic.
Life in the rest of the deep ocean is a lot less common. There is no plant life at all, because there is no light for photosynthesis.
Most of the life that exists in the deep sea is microbial. Some say the diversity of this ecosystem may be richer than the diversity of rain forests!
Multi-cellular animals of the deep sea have to catch their own food. Many depend on the seasonal fall of phytodetritus - dead phytoplankton which falls to the sea bed seasonally like leaf-fall in the Autumn on land. The deep sea is now known to have other kinds of seasonal change…and even weather, such as benthic (sea bed) storms.
As well as increasing knowledge of the biology of the deep sea, scientists are learning more about the natural resources it holds…resources like manganese, and deep sea oil and gas.
New technologies, such as highly interactive visual environments, are being employed to explore this possible resource. These are giant displays of 3D images with which scientists can interact to share information and make decisions on the best, most environmentally sound methods of utilising natural resources.
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Content last updated: 16/06/2000
