Dividing the ocean almost exactly in half, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge is an enormous underwater mountain range that thus far has been little explored. But scientists from seventeen countries sought to remedy this dearth of knowledge, as reported in a LiveScience/OurAmazingPlanet article posted on July 6, 2010. Researchers weren't quite sure what they would find among the towering cliffs and imposing canyons of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but what they did find no doubt far exceeded their wildest expectations.
Journey of the James Cook
Headed by British scientists but including researchers from all over the world, the six-week journey aboard the vessel James Cook took place under the auspices of the international Census of Marine Life. Over the course of the project, the team deployed the Isis, a remotely operated submersible, into the rocky depths of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Armed with powerful lights and ten high-definition cameras, the Isis was maneuvered down to 12,000 feet to film whatever life may have been present there, for stretches of thirty hours at a time.
An Abundance of New Species
The images returned to the James Cook from the Isis showed a vast underwater mountain habitat that fairly teemed with life. Researchers estimate there may be at least ten, if not more, previously unidentified species among the life forms seen and collected during the expedition. These included huge, unimaginably ancient corals, new varieties of sea lilies, and a few species of active sea cucumbers making their homes on the watery cliffs. Researchers were also surprised by the diversity of species concentrated in such a relatively small area of ocean.
Scientists were most excited by the discovery of what seem to be three undiscovered species of sea worm (class Enteropneusta). These invertebrates are only a few inches long, blind, and clothed in fabulous bright hues; they are the first creatures of their kind found in habitats outside the Pacific Ocean. And according to University of Aberdeen researcher Monty Priede, they are important because they may represent a "base" from which much evolutionary adaptation flowered, a sort of "missing link" between invertebrates and vertebrates.
A New Understanding of Marine Habitats
The James Cook expedition, and the Census of Marine Life as a whole, seek to contribute to knowledge about previously unexplored ocean habitats in order that humans may be better able to monitor and manage the environment, as well as understand the balance of ecosystems that until very recently were almost completely mysterious.
Source:
Mustain, Andrea. "Deep Seafloor Surprisingly Alive, Discoveries Reveal". OurAmazingPlanet. July 7, 2010
Jenny Ashford - Jenny Ashford is a writer and graphic artist from central Florida. Her main area of interest in her Suite 101 articles is science, with a ...
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