Deep Sea Dive Discovers New Species
Posted on: Monday, 19 January 2009, 08:10 CST
A scientific voyage off Australia’s southern coast has found new species of animals and more evidence of the destructive impact of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide on deep-sea corals.
The U.S. and Australian researchers explored a vertical slice in the earth's crust known as the Tasman Fracture Zone, which drops from approximately 1.2 miles to more 2.5 miles deep.
"We set out to search for life deeper than any previous voyage in Australian waters," said Ron Thresher from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).
"Our sampling documented the deepest known Australian fauna, including a bizarre carnivorous sea squirt, sea spiders and giant sponges, and previously unknown marine communities dominated by gooseneck barnacles and millions of round, purple-spotted sea anemones," Thresher said in a statement.
Researchers also discovered massive fields of deep-sea fossil corals dated more than 10,000 years old.
The four-week expedition deployed a remotely operated, submarine named Jason.
The submarine, Jason, is about the size of a small car and belongs to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the United States.
Jason is capable of collecting samples, and photographing and filming areas as deep as 4 miles.
The submarine made 14 dives lasting up to 48 hours each and reaching a maximum depth of more than 2.5 miles.
The researchers, from the California Institute of Technology and CSIRO, said some of the deep-sea coral discovered was dying.
They gathered data to assess the threat of ocean acidification and climate change on Australia's unique deep-water coral reefs.
"We need to closely analyze the samples and measurements we collected before we can determine what's caused this, as it could be the result of several factors, such as ocean warming, disease or increasing ocean acidity," said Thresher.
Thresher said carbon dioxide is not just raising temperatures, but also causing what scientists call "ocean acidification" as around 25 percent of the excess CO2 is absorbed by the seas.
Australian scientists warn that rising carbon dioxide levels in the world's oceans due to climate change, combined with rising sea temperatures, could accelerate coral bleaching, destroying some reefs before 2050.
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Image Caption: The half-meter-wide mouth of a 2-meter high "waffle-cone" sponge, found at a depth of 2197 meters in the Tasman Fracture Zone. Image credit – Advanced Imaging and Visualization Laboratory WHOI
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On the Net:
- Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Press Release: Scientific sub makes deep-sea discoveries
- California Institute of Technology
- More Images, Audio & Video
Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
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