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14 Feb 11 -
"Scientists aboard the Royal Research Ship James Cook have discovered a
new set of deep-sea volcanic vents in the chilly waters of the Southern
Ocean," says this article in Science Daily.
This is the fourth
set of hot springs to be discovered around Antarctica since 2009, the
article continues, "which suggests that deep-sea vents may be more
common in our oceans than previously thought."
Using underwater
cameras, "the researchers saw slender mineral spires three metres tall,
with shimmering hot water gushing from their peaks." |
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One of the newly discovered vents.
Image courtesy of National Oceanography
Centre, Southampton, UK |
"In the three decades since
scientists first encountered vents in the Pacific, around 250 have been
discovered worldwide. Most have been found on a chain of undersea volcanoes
called the mid-ocean ridge, however, and very few are known in the Antarctic.
"We're finding deep-sea vents
more rapidly than ever before," says expedition leader Professor Paul Tyler."
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That "shimmering
hot water" can reach almost 800° Fahrenheit hot, while the
underlying lava heating the water can measure ten times the boiling
point - up to 2,150°F.
How many deep sea
vents will we need to discover before we acknowledge that they - not
humans - are heating the seas?
How many underwater volcanoes will we need to discover before we
acknowledge that they - not humans - are heating the seas?
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See entire article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110214115438.htm
Thanks to Jimmy Walter for this link
The above story originally
came from materials provided by
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (UK).