Marianas Trench is fast becoming a name and location everyone know about but this time it’s in the news because of a different purpose.
With a depth of almost nine hundred feet this is the deepest oceanic Mariana Trench in the world.
It was believed to be an ocean bed that was later uplifted due to plate movements when the Earth quaked. Scientists were not able to figure out at first why this deep oceanic layer of the planet had suddenly stopped drying up, but now they know. It is believed the sudden drop was caused by the eruption of Mt. volcano, which has an active underground fault line.
With the eruption of the Mariana Trench becoming a sanctuary for some rare marine species like few reef dwellers and a variety of sponges. This protected zone has since been shrinking due to the increasing amount of sediment. Part of the shrinking is caused by global warming and increased ocean acidity. The shrinking is also causing the Mariana Trench to produce more black corals. These unique creatures were last seen in the depths of the Mexican Pacific Ocean. But now they are found in the total darkness of the Mariana Trench.
There is another interesting thing about the Mariana Trench Mystery.
There are not only many types of sponges and corals flourishing in the depths.There is also a rich population of new species of marine life. One species recently spotted in the depths of the Mariana trench was the very first evidence of the existence of the “Mariana Snailfish” in the Pacific Ocean. It has been nicknamed the “marine iguana.”
In order to understand how the Mariana Trench began to form. It is important to look at the history of the Mariana Islands. During prehistoric times, the waters of the Pacific Ocean covered nearly the entire world’s surface. There were not only large continents and islands to be seen. But also waters teeming with powerful sharks, whales, and giant marine lizards that have since died out.
Then, about half a million years ago. The waters suddenly began to warm, resulting in massive ice shelves on both sides of the world’s oceans.
The ice began to melt, and as it did the water started to rise into the air. The rising waters cooled the earth and in the process pushed the land surface upward, or up, until there was a deep hole in the Earth’s crust where the waters met the Earth’s core. This huge cavity, called the Mariana Trench, or the “Mariana Deep,” became the perfect habitat for a variety of exotic marine animals.
Today, researchers know that this environment was a very different place in prehistoric times. Today’s computers and high-tech instruments have helped scientists to piece together what the Mariana Trench was like in prehistoric times. In the depths of the Mariana trench. Researchers have found a record of marine reptiles that are no longer found anywhere else on Earth. Including a giant squid, alligators, giant slugs, giant snails, and the elasmosaurids. A group that includes the most complete fossil record of all of the Earth’s lower vertebrates.
Additionally, the depths of the Mariana trenches have yielded fossils of sharks, turtles, and other ocean dwellers that lived in the Paleocene era of earth’s history.
There is even a museum devoted to the search for the lost world’s deepest cave, called the Grand Canyon.
However, the biggest discovery of all is the new area below the Mariana Trench that researchers have been calling home. It is the most gigantic deposit of mud volcanoes and other rock formations that have accumulated in the Earth’s depths. In the past, the Mariana Trench was thought to be a sink hole for super deep water, but with the help of technology and high-tech equipment, the Mariana trench can now be considered the world’s deepest mud volcano.
Deepest Body of Water
The latest climate change is global warming. The planet earth has warmed up steadily over the last century. This has been noticed all around the world. However, not all people are aware of this since the surface of our earth is warm, while the planet’s temperatures are cooling off.
There is a slight difference between the warming and the climate change, although they are both caused by the same thing. Globally, there is an average rate of warming. This rate is being measured by satellites and ground-based monitors. Temperatures are still on the incline, with a slight cooling effect expected in the next decade.
Meanwhile, in the deepest part of the ocean, things are heating up.
Now, when thinking about the deepest part of the ocean, what comes to mind?
You may think of sharks and the terrible depths they inhabit. But did you know that these temperatures are also linked to the planet’s deepest ocean trenches?
The deepest part of the ocean happens to be the coldest place on the planet. And since the temperatures are much colder, it would only make sense for there to be a huge variety of animals living in these freezing depths.
First of all, we should give a special mention to the whales. These massive creatures hunt and feed at the lowest temperatures of the planet. And they do not just eat meat, they also consume plants. It is the biggest consumption hub of all the planet earth and a great contributor to global warming.
Then there are the smaller creatures that live in the shallower depths. We know these creatures as the “Killer Whales.” They have very few teeth and their metabolism is so fast that their bodies cannot keep up with the changes in temperature and their tissues eventually break down. They become a vital part in the planet warming process.
The octopus is probably the most common creature found in the deepest parts of our planet. They can easily move through the shallows at unbelievable speeds, which is part of why they are found in such amazing places. They come in a variety of color but they all have a streamlined body. Its ability to use its arms to grasp objects and hold itself above water is what enables them to stay at such great depths.
Another deep sea sleeper is the blue marlin. These fish are about one foot in length and can often be seen by your eyes peering through the surface. Blue marlin are so deep that they come up to about three hundred meters or more. Because of this depth they do not need oxygen to survive but because of their surface area it is essential for them to breath and therefore they need to go deeper.
There are more species of deep sea sleeper than we will ever be able to name.
There are literally thousands of different species of plankton and bacteria living together in this ecosystem. As they are so closely knit together and need the same conditions to thrive they can sometimes become unstable if the conditions that were ideal for them before start to change. This instability can lead to massive changes in the environment and in some cases even entire Eco-systems. As such, we are watching Earth’s climate system as a whole as it changes and as we watch the ecosystem do so also.
Deep sea fish are thermometers in a sense.
They are looking for temperature levels around the year. If the water they live in is cool then they will be found in shallow waters and if it is warm then they will be found in deeper waters. Deep sea fish can detect temperature through their skin which is temperature sensitive. The deeper the temperature is the warmer it will feel on the fish’s body. A fish will not want to get too warm and therefore it will move to cooler waters to keep from overheating.
Most fish will head to the shallows during summer to seek cool waters and warm temperatures.
But some fish will head to the deep waters during the winter months to seek out warmer temperatures. During cold weather the temperature of the water can reach over fifty degrees and because of this fish will seek out cooler waters to remain at. Fish will also seek out light areas that will provide them with shelter from the sun as well. Some species of fish even head out to the deep waters during the night to feed. Because they do not have eyes that can perceive light.
So when you find that the temperature around the deepest part of your body of water is warm, then that is the deepest part for your particular fish. You should give your fish the proper temperature for its depth. If the temperature is too cold then your fish will suffer from hypothermia. And if it is too hot then it will dehydrate.
Discovering Sea Life Discovered in Mariana Trench
Have you ever heard of the sea anemone in Mariana Trench?
It is a very large member of the phalarope family that grows on isolated beaches.Along the coastal Pacific Ocean here in the United States. This species can grow to be about 15 inches or even more in length. It is not a shark or a sea slug, and it does not feed on fish or crabs.
This particular species was first brought to the attention of scientists back in the 1920s. When they were searching for other types of marine life to see on their ships. They were quite impressed with the way it fed by drawing blood through its mouth using its mouth. This enabled them to distinguish the species from other similar looking sea creatures. These laboratory animals came to be called the “sea slugs”.
Over time, other species of sea slugs have been found in the waters surrounding the Mariana Trench. One particular species is called Moray Erythroderma. It has been described as having two different color forms, one red and one orange. In nature it is white with a gray stripe down its back. These stripes have also been observed on the undersides of the legs.
Other species have also been found in the waters around the Mariana Trench. One particular species, the Wapanese sea snail was first noticed in November of 1963. Its scientific name is Chrysophyllum spp., and it was so named because it lived in sea mussels off the coast of Wapan, Japan. It is only found now in waters surrounding the Mariana Trench, and is thought to have been introduced by humans.
There are many marine species that are newly discovered in the coastal waters around the Mariana Trench. A few of these are new to science. For example, there is a species of sea slug, Chlamydomonas brachyurus. This is only the third known species in the world, and it is only thought that there may be less than ten remaining. The sea slug Chlamydomonas was first sighted on December 3rd, at a depth of about forty feet.
Another new species was also found in the sea around the Mariana Trench, and that is the blue-spotted sea slug, Hydrocharides pentameric. The other sea slug that was first sighted was the purple sea slug, Clithonectes imbricus. They are both found at a depth of between twelve and twenty-five feet. Clithonectes is also thought to be native to the Philippines.
Both of these new species were brought to the scientists’ attention through a joint effort between the National Marine Fisheries Service and the United States National Park Service.
There is also evidence of many new species of fish and marine reptiles living in the waters surrounding the Mariana Trench. Among those animals new to science are sea horses and rainbow fish, which were found alive in the waters that surround the Mariana Trench. Also found in these waters are sea lions, dolphins, and a large variety of tropical fish and shrimp.
Some of the marine animals found in the trenches are not common to what is found in the deep oceans of earth. One such sea creature, is the rare green sea slug, Hydrocharides Grenouillette. This is the only kind of slug found living in the ocean waters anywhere. There are several more types of exotic marine animals that were also discovered in the depths of the Mariana Trench. And they are waiting for someone to take the time to study them properly.
These sea creatures are part of a very special group of animals called bony fish. Bony fish have no bones and their entire bodies are made up of soft tissue. Their eyes are made up of jelly-like substance, and their gills are held in their mouths all the way from the mouth to the anus. Bony fish live at the bottom of the ocean, and they are fed by other smaller fish and sometimes crabs as well.
Bony fish are also well known to be associated with volcanic activity.
The Mariana Trench is very shallow, about seven hundred meters deep. It has the lowest sea floor in the world. Because of the shallow sea floor, divers can find a variety of sea creatures living there. One reason why it is so special is because of the many interesting and unique species of fish that can be found living in the waters around the trench. Most of the species are afraid of humans. But there are a few which are seen in the marine sanctuaries at the Pacific Ocean.
Some of these creatures were even discovered alive. One of these creatures was a bright orange, three feet long fish, which was alive and swimming inside a bubble. Could you believe such a physical thing was possible?
Provided by Antonio Westley
Disclaimer: This article is meant to be seen as an overview of this subject and not a reflection of viewpoints or opinions as nothing is definitive. So, make sure to do your research and feel free to use this information at your own discretion.