Scientists Opens A New Frontier Of Exploration In The Arctic

By
Mfame Editor
-
12791

  • HACON project, a group of over two dozen scientists and engineers used an underwater robot to successfully explore a cryptic ocean world.
  • On Earth, these active vent fields are profoundly rare realms.
  • The first scientific results of this unprecedented deep sea mission, however, may come within six months.

What’s more inaccessible than the deep sea? A deep sea blanketed in a thick shell of ice, says an article published on their mashable website. 

HACON project

Yet during a daunting October 2021 mission called the HACON project, a group of over two dozen scientists and engineers used an underwater robot to successfully explore a cryptic ocean world some 13,000 feet beneath the surface of the ice-covered Arctic Ocean. 

It was the first time researchers surveyed rare volcanic vents — and the life there — in the remote Arctic.

It’s a challenge, but it can be done

“It opens a new frontier of exploration in the Arctic,” Eva Ramirez-Llodra, a deep sea ecologist for the Norwegian government who co-led the mission, told Mashable. “It’s a challenge, but it can be done.”

It’s a challenge because scientists can’t simply journey to the Arctic and drop a sturdy exploration robot into the water. They use a thick-hulled ship called an icebreaker to plow through packs of floating ice, called ice floes. 

And once at their remote destination, scientists must contend with the drifting ice: The ship (containing the exploration robot) is lodged in the ice, but the ice is incessantly moving. This means the windows for deep sea exploration are constantly evolving.

Found windows to lower their new exploration robot

But the exploration team found windows to lower their new exploration robot “Aurora” down into the depths on a tether. Their target was the “Aurora vent field,” a deep sea region teeming with geyser-like vents called “black smokers” that blow hot, dark, volcanic liquid into the water. 

Unique life, like snails, worms, and crustaceans thrive on the volcanic chemicals. In a lightless world without energy from the sun, the creatures have no other choice.

Rare realms

On Earth, these active vent fields are profoundly rare realms. All the known active vent areas would fit into just 19 square miles (50 square kilometers), explained Ramirez-Llodra. 

That’s less than half the size of San Francisco. “They’re a tiny existence around the world,” she said. “They’re very unique so we need to protect them.”

Protecting them doesn’t just mean exploring and mapping the uncharted vent field at some 13,000 feet down. It also requires finding and sampling what lives there, so scientists can make a case for their protection. 

This work is increasingly salient, if not urgent. Nations are preparing to mine the deep sea — with giant tank-like vehicles — for precious metals, which will inevitably destroy life on the seafloor.

Deep sea creatures, A source for future medicines

Down in the ocean, the HACON mission found snails and crustaceans living around the vents, and other critters like shrimp in the greater vent field. The team also took comprehensive samples of life that make up the base of the food web, like tiny worms and microbes. 

Crucially, some of these deep sea creatures may produce chemicals that could be a source for future medicines. Already, scientists are testing marine chemicals for uses in the treatment of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, leukemia, and melanoma.

“Systematic searches for new drugs have shown that marine invertebrates produce more antibiotic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory substances than any group of terrestrial organisms,” says the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Unanswered question

With the unprecedented samples collected, the mission’s scientists will now scrutinize the life from this remote deep sea area. 

Importantly, they want to know if much of the life around these Arctic black smokers is truly isolated and unique, or if it shares genes (and is “connected”) to deep sea life in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. 

It’s an unanswered question. But the researchers “expressed high confidence of new discoveries,” which will be announced in the coming few years, and beyond.

The first scientific results of this unprecedented deep sea mission, however, may come within six months, said Ramirez-Llodra. 

Did you subscribe to our daily newsletter?

It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe!

Source: mashable.com

 

1362 COMMENTS

  5. naturally like your web site however you need to take a look at the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the truth on the other hand I will surely come again again.

  16. I appreciate the effort that goes into creating high-quality content, and this post was no exception. The insights and information were top-notch and made for a really engaging read. Keep up the great work!

  24. I’m often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has actually peaks my interest. I’m going to bookmark your web site and maintain checking for brand spanking new information.

  26. I want to express my appreciation for the writer of this blog post. It’s clear they put a lot of effort and thought into their work, and it shows. From the informative content to the engaging writing style, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Newer Comments »

Comments are closed.