Deep Ocean

<1% of deep sea has been explored Most exploration in the past 35 years

Deep Ocean

depth 700 m

Deep OceanIt’s weird down here:

http://www.mbari.org/news/homepage/2007/deepchange-scotoplanes-350.jpg

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/02/awesome-octopi-cephalopods-from-outer.html

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/img/environment/bigisopod.jpg

http://www.naturalsciences.org/education/deepsea/images/

http://img.geo.de/div/image/59517/langnasenchimaere-popup.jpg

Deep OceanThen it gets even weirder when things seep out of the ocean floor...

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/communic/endeavour/photo_e.htm

Hydrothermal Vents

Extreme conditions near vents: High temperature High chemical concentrations High acidity

Bacteria, archaea live closest to vents(up to 121°C!)

Hydrothermal Vents

Chemosynthesis – energy from chemicals, not the sun

Chemosynthetic bacteria, archaea:

Outside on rocks Inside some animals (tube worms, mussels, clams)

Hydrothermal Vents

http://www.teara.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/E84896E2-2F7E-4D2A-9D46-366B50558303/87497/p5365dop.jpg http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/photos/grazers.jpg

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061007/a7741_2279.jpg

Hydrothermal Vents

An oasis of warmth and food

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/communic/endeavour/photo_e.htm

Hydrogen sulfide Methane, oil, mud volcanos Brine

Cold Seeps

http://aphriza.files.wordpress.com/2006/07/methane_seep.jpg

NOAA

Oil droplets on orange methane hydrate

Cold Seeps

http://people.whitman.edu/~yancey/methaneventHR.jpg

Methane bubbles

Methane gas plumefrom mud volcano

NOAA

Methane seep communities Chemosynthetic bacteria, archaea

Outside on rocks Inside some animals (worms, clams)

http://people.whitman.edu/%7Eyancey/whitemat.jpg http://webmineral.com/specimens/Methanehydrate.jpg

Frozen methane hydrate with polychaete “ice

worms”

Cold Seeps

Methane seep communities

http://people.whitman.edu/~yancey/snailtowers.jpg

Cold Seeps

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0030102

Brine pools: Gulf of Mexico was shallow sea that dried up in Jurassic period Thick layer of salts covered with sediment when seawater returned Salt seeps up through cracks in sediment

NOAA

Cold Seeps

Brine pools: Underwater lakes of super salty water Methane gases also seep out

NOAA

depth 700 m

Cold Seeps

Cold Seeps

NOAA

Chemosynthetic bacteria in mussels An oasis of food