Ancient Forest Found Underwater

Divers have discovered a Bald Cypress forest at least 0.8 km long off the coast of Alabama, freshly preserved for at least 52,000 years under ocean sediment in an oxygen-free environment in the Gulf of Mexico and most likely uncovered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

EPB Virtually Impassable

First hypothesized by Charles Darwin in 1880, a comprehensive study focusing on robust coral species has confirmed the deep, 4000-mile uninterrupted stretch of water known as the Eastern Pacific Barrier (EPB) separating the eastern from the central Pacific Ocean is virtually impassable by most marine species, with implications for climate research and species-preservation efforts.

New Species around Sea Vents

A rich "lost world" of dozens of species new to science has been discovered living around hydrothermal vents on the sea floor near Antarctica, where marine life thrive without sunlight and in waters reaching temperatures up to 382°C.

Bacteria Affecting Climate

Scientists have discovered bacterial communication via secretion of various chemical signals (often to determine if other similar bacteria are in the proximity), and that such chemical means of communication in ocean-based microorganisms at depth could affect Earth's natural carbon cycle.

New Life in Dead Sea

Results from a 2010 diving expedition to the bottom of the Dead Sea reveal an "impressive" network of about 30 craters with freshwater springs and a host of new microbial life forms living in the otherwise harsh hypersalinity of the location.

"Missing Heat" in Oceans

New computer simulations have indicated that the "missing heat" expected by some climate models that has not been detected even with rising greenhouse gas emissions has actually been absorbed into the oceans, accumulating at depths of 1000 feet or more.

Underwater "River" Discovered

An underwater "river" of denser water that flows along the ocean floor at about a half-mile per day has been discovered off the western coast of Australia, the first time this phenomenon has been observed in sub-tropical waters.

Noise Pollution in Oceans

New research suggests oceanic noise pollution from low-frequency sound-pulse military applications and oil and gas prospecting has a much more serious effect on marine life than previously believed, including killing giant squid and other cephalopods with extensive trauma to some sensitive organs.

Undersea Superhighway Found

Scientists have discovered an undersea "superhighway" amid a complex of newly disturbed hydrothermal vents responsible for repopulating an area after a recent eruption with tiny life forms from as much as 300 km away.

New Theory of Extinction

A new theory of the Permian/Triassic extinction 250 million years ago suggests that halogenated gases resulting from giant salt lakes altered the atmosphere enough to affect land-based vegetation.

Unusual Life Found in American Great Lakes

Scientists at Grand Valley State University have discovered some unusual species in the waters of Lake Huron, life forms more suited to extreme environments than freshwater lakes.

In underwater sinkholes 66 feet below the surface made by dissolving parts of an underlying seabed exist large purple mats of cyanobacteria and streamers of other microbial life living in massive physical colonies. The water in these sinkholes is oxygen-free and salty, similar to unfriendlier environments such as hydrothermal vents or the bottom of permanently frozen lakebeds in Antarctica. Such water composition is hostile to most forms of marine life.

These sinkholes act as basins to catch dead and decaying plant and animal matter, providing a microenvironment for life such as cyanobacteria to thrive. In this environment, microorganisms use chemical means rather than photosynthesis to break down sulfur compounds for food.

These results were published in a recent edition of Eos.

Source: LiveScience

New Marine Animals Discovered in Tasmanian Ocean

A joint US-Australian team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has discovered previously unknown species of marine animals while exploring the deep waters off the coast of Tasmania.

The new animals found include "a bizarre carnivorous sea squirt [ascidian], sea spiders and giant sponges, and previously unknown marine communities dominated by gooseneck barnacles and millions of round, purple-spotted sea anemones." The team also found vast fossil coral fields dating back more than 10,000 years, from which samples could reveal ancient climate data.

The team used a submersible robot named Jason to venture into a previously unexplored area known as the Tasman Fracture Zone. This zone is a rift in the Earth's crust that drops a sheer two kilometers to end at 4000 meters below the ocean's surface and is part of a protected marine reserve. The team also found evidence of the coral reef system dying, possibly as a result of the warming of ocean temperatures.

These results were published recently by the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship.

Source: ScienceDaily; Photo: Yahoo!