The earth is quite dense, and even when people say they have mastered the earth, there are still more than a lot of things that wasn’t discovered yet, most especially when targeting the lowermost bottom of the deepest ocean. However, due to innovated technology, explorers and scientists were able to finally take a view of what’s lies beneath the ocean without diving through it, by the use of a highly-specified remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
According to news.com, deep below Antarctica's dense sea ice in subzero waters survives a splendid aquatic community, which was captured by scientists on ROV. Flamboyant algae and sponges offer a lively habitation for sea spiders, worms, star fish and sea cucumbers in a scene extra evocative of a coral reef. "The shots exposes an environment that is prolific, colorful, lively and full of a wide assortment of biodiversity," Australian Antarctic Division biologist Glenn Johnstone said on Wednesday.
He has been involved in research near Australia's Casey Station for the past year measuring the acidity, oxygen and salinity of minus-1.5C seawater beneath ice that is 1.5 meters dense. "Occasionally an iceberg may move around and wipe out an unlucky community, but mostly the sea ice provides protection from the storms that rage above, making it a relatively stable environment in which biodiversity can flourish," Dr. Johnstone said.
However, the pretty pink-encrusted algae and other visually striking classes might be at jeopardy from another predator which is the ocean acidification. Dr. Stark, also one of the researchers said: "Polar waters are acidifying at twice the rate of tropical or temperate regions, so we expect these ecosystems to be among the first impacted. Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water ... Antarctica may be one of the first places we see detrimental effects of ocean acidification on these organisms." In addition, according to mirror, the research findings of the data logger will be studied at the Australian Antarctic Program laboratories in Tasmania.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
