Deep Sea Soundings near the Equator

Morphological survey of microbial mats near deep-sea thermal vents.

A microscopic survey is presented of the most commonly observed and morphologically conspicuous microorganisms found attached to natural surfaces or to artificial materials deposited in the immediate vicinity of thermal submarine vents at the Galapagos Rift ocean spreading zone at a depth of 2,550 meters. Of special interest were the following findings: (i) all surfaces intermittently exposed t...

Deep sea in deep trouble?

Ahead of the imminent start of the industrial exploitation of deep sea resources, an EU report finds that scientific knowledge and understanding of this environment and its ecosystems still fall short of what would be needed for a sustainable use.

The One-Equator Property

The deep sea under siege

P T a o c f fi l s t s t r s h s Mineral source: The fluid ejected from hydrothermal vents (black smokers) contains valuable minerals, which accumulate in the sediment around the vents. The image shows a black smoker known as The Brothers, off the coast of New Zealand. (Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/ Wikimedia Commons.) eneath deep ocean waters, the sea oor remains very...

Gambling in the deep sea

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