The deep sea is one of the harshest habitats on Earth, but is home to many remarkable creatures, such as unique life forms that can convert the energy-rich chemicals into living matter in the absence of any sunlight.The weird and wonderful creatures living by methane vents in the southwest Pacific have been photographed for the first time.
The deep-sea communities live around methane seeps off New Zealand’s eastern coast, up to 1 kilometre beneath the sea surface. The team of 21 researchers from the US and New Zealand, who spent two weeks exploring the area, have just returned to shore.
“It's the first time cold seeps have been viewed and sampled in the southwest Pacific, and will greatly contribute to our knowledge of these intriguing ecosystems,” says Amy Baco-Taylor from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US.
Cold seeps are areas of the seabed where methane or hydrogen sulphide gas escape from stores deep underneath. Like hydrothermal vents, the gases support unique life forms that can convert the energy-rich chemicals into living matter in the absence of any sunlight.
Link & Image: NewScientist
Tags: Science | Sea | New Zealand | Bizarre
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