Far from human reach, the ocean\u2019s remote depths have long been inaccessible and full of mysteries \u2013 but deep-sea robots are increasingly changing that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a new example of just how much we\u2019re learning about our fascinating deep seas, researchers have announced the discovery of the first known hydrothermal vents in the Doldrums Megatransform and Fracture Zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Located around 800 miles off the coast of Brazil, just north of the equator, this region of the Atlantic Ocean intersects the Mid-Atlantic Ridge: the longest mountain range on the planet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because of its tectonic activity, the Doldrums Fracture Zone is full of bizarre organisms that have adapted to live in these harsh, deep waters. Many of these lifeforms are unlike anything we know on land.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere, tectonic plates scrape and slide past one another, creating fascinating geologic formations like fault scarps and sedimented basins, both of which can host areas of chemically altered seawater and deep-sea ecosystems,\u201d writes\u00a0Schmidt Ocean Institute<\/a>\u00a0on its website.\u00a0<\/p>\n When researchers spent more than one month exploring the mid-Atlantic, their remotely operated vehicle (ROV)\u00a0SuBastian\u00a0 stumbled upon something they weren\u2019t expecting: two rare types of hydrothermal vent fields in and around the Doldrums.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hydrothermal vents are known along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge but this is the first time they\u2019ve ever been observed in the Doldrums.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis discovery shows why exploration still matters,\u201d says the expedition\u2019s chief scientist,\u00a0Dr. Aaron Micallef<\/a>, a scientist at MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute) in a\u00a0press release<\/a>. \u201cEven in the Atlantic Ocean, where plate boundaries have been studied for decades, there are still places where the first close look can reveal something entirely new.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the two fields was gigantic: around 24 acres \u2013 the equivalent of 14 football fields \u2013 and made up of 23 hydrothermal vents. 13 of those had active\u00a0black smokers<\/a>: hot vents that spew out dark smoke like a burning building (as opposed to white smokers, which are cooler and spit out paler steam-like streams). When scientists measured the fluids coming from the vents, they found them to be an almost unimaginable 280 degrees Celsius.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite this, there was plenty of life, including anemones, crabs, and\u00a0thousands of blind\u00a0Rimicaris\u00a0shrimp. Because there is no light so far below the surface, the creatures that live down here get their energy from chemicals from the vents rather than sunlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0released by Schmidt Ocean Institute<\/a>, the camera pans across strange landscapes, like something out of a sci-fi movie, with plumes of water shimmering from the heat of the vents.\u00a0<\/p>\n The scientists think a rare process called serpentinization is happening on both of these newly discovered vent fields. \u201cSerpentinisation is a process in which seawater reacts with minerals in rocks, producing heat and chemical energy that allow life to thrive in the deep ocean without sunlight,\u201d says Dr.\u00a0Jyotika Virmani<\/a>, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. \u201cA better understanding of these systems could provide clues for finding life on other planets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe arrived searching for vents, faults, and seamounts,\u201d adds Dr.\u00a0Paula Zapata Ramirez<\/a>, assistant professor at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. \u201cWe leave with something even more valuable: a deeper understanding of ecosystems in one of the least explored regions of the Atlantic Ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n During the month-long expedition, the researchers also came across several beguiling deep-sea weirdos, including two bigfin squids (Magnapinna sp.) \u2013 whose tentacles can reach up to eight metres long and trail through the water like unruly cotton spilling from its spool \u2013 and the baffling barreleye fish whose strange, tubular eyes can be seen through its translucent skull. The\u00a0barreleye<\/a>\u00a0species they recorded \u2013\u00a0Winteria telescope \u2013\u00a0has never been caught on film before.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery sample, every image, and every discovery brings us one step closer to understanding the hidden parts of our planet,\u201d says Zapata Ramirez<\/p>\n These wonderful surprises reveal glimpses of how much we have yet to learn about our deep seas. \u201cThis expedition showed that even in one of the most remote corners of the ocean, our planet remains alive, dynamic, and full of surprises,\u201d says Micallef.<\/p>\n Top image: ROV SuBastian pilots collect a geologic sample from a hydrothermal vent chimney nearly 3,890 meters (2.4 miles) deep. Scientists discovered two new hydrothermal vent fields in one of the least explored areas of the Atlantic Ocean, the Doldrums Megatransform and Fracture Zone.<\/p>\n This large, tectonically active system cuts across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms the world\u2019s longest mountain chain. These types of vent fields are rare because of their hybrid \u201cplumbing\u201d systems, featuring typical volcanic venting alongside serpentinization, a chemical reaction that occurs when rocks from the Earth\u2019s mantle are exposed to seawater. <\/p>\n Photo Credit: ROV SuBastian \/ Schmidt Ocean Institute<\/p>\n