Deep Ocean Research Paper
deep ocean
The oceans cover 75% of the world's surface and contain 97% of its water; 90% of the seas lie beyond the shallow continental margins, and most are deeper than 2km. With the advent of modern science we have been able to discover what some of the deep ocean is like but there is still a vast area that remains unexplored. One thing we do know is that life at these depths is dominated by animals, not plants, since light cannot reach these depths.
background The forces of evolution have ensured that life has reached even the deepest tracts of the ocean. Unusual, and to our eyes, ugly and bizarre …show more content…
Hydrothermal vents (also known as black smokers) occur where the Earth's crust is thin and new sea floor is being formed. Along these spreading ridges, mini volcanoes appear on the sea bed which belch out sulphur through chimneys up to 30m high into the surrounding ocean. They also cause a local increase in temperature by spewing out very hot water; temperatures of 350 degrees Celsius have been recorded from some of the sulphur chimneys. The areas around these vents are rich with life, particularly bacteria and dense populations of animals, because the food supply is so concentrated. The bacteria act as the primary producers of the vent food web. Many animals are very strange and completely new to science; some of the most spectacular are the giant red Pogonophoran tube worms, which can grow up to 2 metres long and live in Pacific Ocean vents. Other gigantic forms of life include clams, which grow up to 30cms in
The oceans cover 75% of the world's surface and contain 97% of its water; 90% of the seas lie beyond the shallow continental margins, and most are deeper than 2km. With the advent of modern science we have been able to discover what some of the deep ocean is like but there is still a vast area that remains unexplored. One thing we do know is that life at these depths is dominated by animals, not plants, since light cannot reach these depths.
background The forces of evolution have ensured that life has reached even the deepest tracts of the ocean. Unusual, and to our eyes, ugly and bizarre …show more content…
Hydrothermal vents (also known as black smokers) occur where the Earth's crust is thin and new sea floor is being formed. Along these spreading ridges, mini volcanoes appear on the sea bed which belch out sulphur through chimneys up to 30m high into the surrounding ocean. They also cause a local increase in temperature by spewing out very hot water; temperatures of 350 degrees Celsius have been recorded from some of the sulphur chimneys. The areas around these vents are rich with life, particularly bacteria and dense populations of animals, because the food supply is so concentrated. The bacteria act as the primary producers of the vent food web. Many animals are very strange and completely new to science; some of the most spectacular are the giant red Pogonophoran tube worms, which can grow up to 2 metres long and live in Pacific Ocean vents. Other gigantic forms of life include clams, which grow up to 30cms in