- Joined
- Aug 16, 2001
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I draw your attention to this paragraph in the article below:
Another remarkable discovery, made using echo sounders aboard one vessel, was of colossal spinning ring-like plankton structures. At least four clearly defined rings of interacting planktonic organisms were found. The structures are interesting because of the key role plankton plays in sustaining marine life.
This reminds me of Fort's illuminated and spinning underwater wheels. Many have thought of mating shoals of fish (even dolphins can cause phosphorescence by swimming rapidly through planckton shoals) and UFO believers have suggested underwater saucers, but these planckton offer another another possiblility, as many planckton are phosphorescent at night. Fish and mammels might not need to be evoked to explain such observations.
Source: New Scientist Article
Atlantic ridge reveals underwater wonders
17:37 06 August 04
NewScientist.com news service
Scientists studying the submerged peak of the mid-Atlantic ridge believe they have found several new species of fish and squid.
The first extensive scientific expedition to collect specimens and analyse the depths along the ridge, the MAR-ECO study, has also revealed the first evidence of spinning plankton blooms as well as a set of mysterious oceanic tracks.
The mid-Atlantic ridge is the world's tallest mountain range, which zigzags across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to the Azores where the ridge rises above sea level.
Of the new species discovered, perhaps the most striking is a bright red squid caught at a depth of 1.7 kilometres. The squid is thought to belong to the genus Planctoteuthis, and would be the seventh member of this family to be found.
Shallow depths
Other possible discoveries include a new species of anglerfish, a bulbous-shaped fish found in a shallower region than other anglerfish, at a depth of about 1 km. Several apparently new species of Ophidiiformes, a common deep sea fish with a long thin tail, were also found.
The scientists studying the ridge have so far collected some 80,000 different specimens during extensive trawls. They believe they may have uncovered between 45 and 50 new species in all, but further analysis is needed to confirm this.
As well as collecting specimens, the scientists have used submergible cameras to capture images of the ocean depths as well as acoustic instruments to probe for subsurface activity.
Another remarkable discovery, made using echo sounders aboard one vessel, was of colossal spinning ring-like plankton structures. At least four clearly defined rings of interacting planktonic organisms were found. The structures are interesting because of the key role plankton plays in sustaining marine life.
At a depth of 2000 metres, along the seabed that marks the peak of the ridge on the seamount north of the Azores, the researchers also discovered a puzzling set of straight tracks, resembling burrows roughly 5 cm apart. They confess to having no idea how and by what the tracks were made.
The MAR-ECO study is one component of Census of Marine Life (CoML), a 10-year, $1billion programme of exploration in the Atlantic. More than 110 scientists from 16 different nations are involved in this collaborative effort.
Will Knight
Another remarkable discovery, made using echo sounders aboard one vessel, was of colossal spinning ring-like plankton structures. At least four clearly defined rings of interacting planktonic organisms were found. The structures are interesting because of the key role plankton plays in sustaining marine life.
This reminds me of Fort's illuminated and spinning underwater wheels. Many have thought of mating shoals of fish (even dolphins can cause phosphorescence by swimming rapidly through planckton shoals) and UFO believers have suggested underwater saucers, but these planckton offer another another possiblility, as many planckton are phosphorescent at night. Fish and mammels might not need to be evoked to explain such observations.
Source: New Scientist Article
Atlantic ridge reveals underwater wonders
17:37 06 August 04
NewScientist.com news service
Scientists studying the submerged peak of the mid-Atlantic ridge believe they have found several new species of fish and squid.
The first extensive scientific expedition to collect specimens and analyse the depths along the ridge, the MAR-ECO study, has also revealed the first evidence of spinning plankton blooms as well as a set of mysterious oceanic tracks.
The mid-Atlantic ridge is the world's tallest mountain range, which zigzags across the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland to the Azores where the ridge rises above sea level.
Of the new species discovered, perhaps the most striking is a bright red squid caught at a depth of 1.7 kilometres. The squid is thought to belong to the genus Planctoteuthis, and would be the seventh member of this family to be found.
Shallow depths
Other possible discoveries include a new species of anglerfish, a bulbous-shaped fish found in a shallower region than other anglerfish, at a depth of about 1 km. Several apparently new species of Ophidiiformes, a common deep sea fish with a long thin tail, were also found.
The scientists studying the ridge have so far collected some 80,000 different specimens during extensive trawls. They believe they may have uncovered between 45 and 50 new species in all, but further analysis is needed to confirm this.
As well as collecting specimens, the scientists have used submergible cameras to capture images of the ocean depths as well as acoustic instruments to probe for subsurface activity.
Another remarkable discovery, made using echo sounders aboard one vessel, was of colossal spinning ring-like plankton structures. At least four clearly defined rings of interacting planktonic organisms were found. The structures are interesting because of the key role plankton plays in sustaining marine life.
At a depth of 2000 metres, along the seabed that marks the peak of the ridge on the seamount north of the Azores, the researchers also discovered a puzzling set of straight tracks, resembling burrows roughly 5 cm apart. They confess to having no idea how and by what the tracks were made.
The MAR-ECO study is one component of Census of Marine Life (CoML), a 10-year, $1billion programme of exploration in the Atlantic. More than 110 scientists from 16 different nations are involved in this collaborative effort.
Will Knight