Scientists Are Racing To Save These Strange Sea Creatures From An Unsuspecting Threat

Picture the scene: you’re aboard a cramped, miniature submarine which is descending to the ocean floor. Conditions inside this tiny pod are claustrophobic, and darkness descends as you sink further. Suddenly, though, you notice flickers of light all around you. It’s the bioluminescence from all the weird creatures that call this deep-sea environment home. It’s an awesome sight, but sadly you may be one of the last to experience the spectacle. That’s because many of these alien-looking animals are under threat – and humans are to blame.

A tragedy

It’s no exaggeration to describe this situation as a tragedy. After all, these creatures have evolved to withstand some of the toughest conditions imaginable. Down here, animals have to deal with intense pressure bearing down upon them – not to mention extreme temperatures and a lack of light. The notion that all these strengths might count for nothing because of our own species’ activities is difficult to comprehend.

Secrets of life

These deep-sea creatures should be marveled at for their own sake – given how strange they seem to us. But on top of everything else, the organisms may even hold the key to unlocking the secrets of how life itself began on our planet. Some experts apparently believe that life first sprang forth from hydrothermal vents at the depths of the ocean. So, if we destroy the creatures that live in these places now, then maybe we’ll lose our chance to learn about our very origins.

Human folly

If things continue on their current trajectory, that grim scenario looks set to materialize – and it’s all down to us. For the first time in history, humans have developed the means to disrupt these previously hidden creatures and their ecosystems. And there are groups of people who seem totally intent on doing so.

Race against time

All is not quite lost yet, though. There are biologists out there trying to learn as much as they can about these wonderful creatures at the bottom of the ocean. In doing so, they’re bringing attention to these bizarre animals and garnering support for their protection. The race against time is clearly on.

The empty depths

The knowledge of such creatures living all the way down in the ocean’s depths was only acquired pretty recently. Right up to the end of the 19th century, experts presumed that such an environment was far too inhospitable for life to thrive in. And given how difficult the deep ocean is to access, there was little way of proving otherwise.

Simple space exploration

Oceanographer Dr. Gene Carl Feldman told Oceana that one of the main obstacles to deep sea exploration is the acute pressure down there. He explained to the website in 2020, “In some ways, it’s a lot easier to send people into space than it is to send people to the bottom of the ocean. The intense pressures in the deep ocean make it an extremely difficult environment to explore.”

Under pressure

If you were to leave the Earth’s atmosphere, you would no longer experience any pressure weighing down upon you at all. The deeper you sink in the ocean, though, the worse it gets. Dr. Feldman explained, “On a dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench – which is nearly 7 miles deep – you’re talking about over 1,000 times more pressure than at the surface. That’s the equivalent of the weight of 50 jumbo jets pressing on your body.”

Explorer James Cameron

As we’ve demonstrated, it’s easy to understand why deep-sea exploration was neglected for so long in human history. Yet in more recent times we’ve developed special underwater vehicles that can withstand such vast amounts of pressure down there. Famously, Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron once sat inside one of these pods to explore the Mariana Trench.

Bearing witness

Speaking of his personal experience of deep-sea exploration, Cameron told Oceana, “I call it bearing witness. There’s something very exciting about being physically present and using all of your senses. Plus, you can come back and tell the story, and that engages an audience. The most important aspect of exploration, in my mind, is coming back and telling the tale.”

The bottom of the Indian Ocean

Only a handful of individuals can identify with what Cameron was talking about, of course, but one of those people is Julia Sigwart. An evolutionary biologist by profession, she once visited the depths of the Indian Ocean inside a tiny research pod. It was her job to record some of the creatures that live down there, which ultimately may help to protect them from extinction.

A claustrophobic experience

Sigwart talked to The Guardian about the claustrophobic experience of descending deep into the alien environment of the deep ocean. It took about an hour to sink nearly 10,000 feet to the bottom, which was not a comfortable experience. As the scientist recalled in 2020, “You’re in a titanium sphere that is about [6.5 foot] in diameter.”

Not exactly luxurious

The underwater vehicle taking Sigwart down to the ocean’s bottom wasn’t particularly luxurious. Apparently, it didn’t even have a toilet! Spending eight hours within a pod like this must have been quite taxing – especially with other people on board making space even more scarce. Sigwart explained, “So, you’re hunched up together with the two pilots who are driving it and manipulating it.”

A massive payoff

It all sounds rather grueling, but the challenges do have a massive payoff. Sigwart remembered, “As you go down the light fades out rapidly. When you turn off the lights of the submersible you can see all of the bioluminescence of everything that’s alive in the water all around you – big and small. It’s like a beautiful starscape.”

Smoking chimneys

Much of the life that one finds down at the bottom of the ocean tends to congregate around hydrothermal vents. These are cracks in the planet’s crust where extremely hot water containing lots of minerals shoots out. Sigwart has described seeing these vents, saying, “These smoking chimneys loom up at you – out of the blackness. They’re just incredible.”

Water of life

The water that shoots out of these vents is really important, because it leads to a spate of chemical reactions. These processes can create living compounds – some of which are quite complex. Many of the oldest fossils we’ve ever discovered on Earth actually came from vents like this, and this has interesting implications.

Back to the beginning

Scientists are particularly interested in vents like this, because it’s conceivable that life itself started within their vicinity. To try and prove this point, a number of experiments have been conducted. One saw researchers attempt to simulate the conditions of these vents to see if they could create protocells. For reference, Advanced Science News defines these organisms as “non-living components which can self-organize themselves into endenously ordered structures.”

Protocells

By the end of this study, the researchers had successfully managed to create these protocells. This implies that life can spring forth from these vents, which may account for the first organisms to ever form on our planet. Nothing’s for certain, of course, but it’s most certainly worth trying to learn more.

Ancient environments

Dr. Sean Jordan was one of the experts involved in this study, and in a statement he elaborated on its importance. The scientist said, “In our experiments, we have created one of the essential components of life under conditions that are more reflective of ancient environments than many other laboratory studies. We still don’t know where life first formed, but our study shows that you cannot rule out the possibility of deep-sea hydrothermal vents.”

Weird creatures

Hydrothermal vents are clearly so important for those interested in figuring out how life on Earth began. But they’re also still home to some fascinating creatures today. That’s why Sigwart decided to explore the depths of the Indian Ocean, after all. She wanted to observe some of these weird animals for herself.

Punk rockers

So, what creatures specifically live in this remarkable space on the ocean floor? Well, one is the wonderfully named vivid mottled orange snail. Another is the Alviniconcha strummeri, which takes its name from an interesting source. Because of its spiky exterior reminiscent of punk hairstyles, the sea snail is named after The Clash frontman Joe Strummer!

Sea pangolin

Apparently, the sea pangolin – or scaly foot snail – is another. This is one of the more bizarre-looking creatures, which is saying something. Protected by an elaborate black shell on top, this thing also has what looks like armored plates at the bottom. And the way these protective shells are formed is quite amazing.

Iron shell

As Sigwart explained to The Guardian, this shell develops directly because of the minerals shooting out of the hydrothermal vents. She said, “The iron that precipitates out of the vent fluid is incorporated into the shell and the scales of the scaly foot. It hasn’t grown an iron shell, but the available environmental iron on the surface has integrated into it.”

No dinner

The Gigantopelta aegis fascinates Sigwart for another reason, too. Just like the vivid mottled orange snail, this creature has managed to adapt to the lack of food in its environment. Generally speaking, living organisms down in the deep ocean need to feast on bacteria or one another – but these two do neither.

Unconventional organ

These two creatures each have a very special organ inside their bodies. And microorganisms thrive inside of it, which the two species use to their advantage. According to The Guardian, they receive their energy from these microbes – meaning they don’t have to consume by more conventional means. In short, they’ve adapted beyond the requirement to eat!

A rich ecosystem

Beyond sea snails and microorganisms, there are plenty more creatures that call the deep ocean home. There are species of shrimp down there, for example, plus some mussels and barnacles. There are even certain crabs thriving in that harsh environment – scampering around out of sight from all of us on the surface.

Lipstick

Each hydrothermal vent system in the ocean is unique – meaning different sites around the world are home to different organisms. The first ones to ever be explored, for instance, were situated in the eastern Pacific. These vents became known for their lipstick worms, which could measure up to several feet in length.

A real threat

Clearly, hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean are extremely important. So much life exists in these ecosystems – most of which we have yet to even remotely understand. Sadly, though, there’s a chance we’ll never get to learn more about these places and the creatures that live there. And it’s all because of deep-sea mining.

The search for metals

As we’ve learned, the deep sea is absolutely abundant in minerals. The thing is, though, many of these substances are really useful for humans on the surface. Metals like nickel, lithium, copper and cobalt are used in our smartphones, solar panels and batteries, so we’re looking for more sources of them.

A vast expanse

It seems that the ocean’s surface is increasingly being seen as a source of these metals. With that in mind, a number of companies have opted to extract these minerals from all the way down there. According to The Guardian, as of 2020 an area equivalent in size to the nation of Mongolia was earmarked for mining.

Big business

In 2019 Greenpeace announced that 30 licenses permitting deep-sea mining had been issued by the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA). Companies from all over the world will benefit from these licenses – including those in places like the United Kingdom, India, Germany and China.

Disastrous impact

The issue with these licenses is that they allow companies to mine the ocean floor, which will have a disastrous impact on the ecosystems that thrive there. Animals in the wider vicinity of the mining works will suffer because of excess noise and light that they’re not used to. Meanwhile, many of the creatures more directly within the mining zone may be driven to extinction.

Appalling situation

Sigwart is obviously appalled by this situation. Whereas in the past we might have presumed deep-sea ecosystems were generally safe from human interference, now we have the technologies to destroy them. Sigwart told The Guardian, “We can no longer naively hope that the depths of the oceans are still pristine and untouched.”

More threats

And to make things worse, as Sigwart explained, it isn’t just deep-sea mining that threatens these precious ecosystems, either. She said, “More and more, it’s clear that they are already impacted by human activities. We find plastic in deep-sea sediments, the ocean circulation patterns are being altered by global climate change.”

‘Super weird’

As of February 2020, a total of 15 species of hydrothermal vent creatures had been added to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List. This, in essence, means that these 15 species – which Sigwart characterized as being “super weird” – all face the threat of obliteration. And it’s all because of humans.

A bleak precedent

It was actually the sea pangolin that was first highlighted for being particularly in danger of extinction. No other species had ever before been driven to the brink by deep-sea mining, but now a bleak precedent had been set. The creatures at the bottom of the ocean had entered into a grim new age.

Critical situation

Both the sea pangolin and the punk-rocking Alviniconcha strummeri have apparently been listed as “vulnerable” to extinction. That’s bad, obviously, but the vivid mottled orange snail has it even worse. This creature is considered to be critically endangered now, which means it’s so close to being wiped off of the Earth.

Urgent protection

Speaking in a statement back in 2019, Sigwart tried to stress the urgency with which the scientific community needs to respond to this situation. She said, “It is crucial we are aware of the immediacy and potential impacts of deep-sea mining. This Red List designation for these species will enable appropriate international protection for the most vulnerable of creatures.”

Speaking out

This is undoubtedly a bleak story, but there are flickers of hope. As Sigwart pointed out to The Guardian, many scientists have become savvy to the threat that deep-sea mining poses to the creatures at the bottom of the ocean. And increasingly, she claims, these experts are speaking out against it.

Burden of responsibility

Hopefully, advocates for these incredible deep-sea creatures can garner enough support to their cause. Otherwise, a great tragedy is about to unfold. As Sigwart reflected, “Deep-sea biology is fascinating and exciting, and it inspires a sense of wonder in everybody. There are very few of us [who] have the privilege of actually working on these animals and habitats. We have a burden of responsibility to try to explain them to other people before the damage is done.” After all, scientists are still learning just how rich these environments can be.

Something in the water

In October 20, 2020, Dr. Robin Beaman was aboard the Falkor, a research ship operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Off the Australian coast, their instruments picked up on something unknown. This thing in the water is enormous, measuring roughly 1,640 feet from its base to its tip. These dimensions are immense, but they can be difficult to envision. So, for a sense of scale, we can say that by way of comparison, the Empire State Building in New York City tops out at about 1,450 feet, trailing the underwater discovery by almost 200 feet.

New discoveries

Incredibly, this gargantuan find is far from the only breakthrough made by scientists onboard the Falkor this past year. Experts from the Western Australian Museum have also spent time on the vessel, noting around 30 previously undiscovered species during their voyage. It’s been a big year, then, for the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Plenty of fish in the sea

Word of these 30 creatures new to science came out in April, but that was just the beginning. A few months later, the Schmidt Ocean Institute was again announcing news from the Falkor. Scientists carried by the vessel had come across yet more exotic and never-before-seen species.

Secrets of the seven seas

Generally speaking, though, for all our advances as a species, we know remarkably little about the oceans of Earth. Astronomers have managed to capture an image of black hole in space, we’ve sent manmade vehicles to Mars, and individuals have personally walked along the surface of the Moon – yet our own waters clearly retain many secrets. But thanks to groups such as the Schmidt Ocean Institute, we’re now starting to learn more.

Taking a deep dive

New technologies are helping us to explore the depths of the ocean. From the Falkor, for instance, researchers are able to launch underwater robots to do the tough work. These machines are essential for deep-sea exploration, as they can handle the intensely frigid, pitch-black conditions of the seafloor, where all but the hardiest of venturers are crushed to a pulp by the sheer weight of the volume of water above them.

Meet Wendy Schmidt

The past year has demonstrated the power of technology and how it can be applied to underwater exploration. This has delighted Wendy Schmidt, who established the Schmidt Ocean Institute alongside her spouse Eric. Speaking in a statement following Dr. Beaman’s vast discovery, she reflected on what the latest technological advances mean for our understanding of the seas.

Our Undersea Neighbors

Schmidt remarked, “The state of our knowledge about what’s in the ocean has long been so limited. Thanks to new technologies that work as our eyes, ears and hands in the deep ocean, we have the capacity to explore like never before. New oceanscapes are opening to us, revealing the ecosystems and diverse life forms that share the planet with us.”

Pressing Matters

Understanding our ocean ecosystems is perhaps a more pressing matter today than ever before in our history as a species. Back in March 2020 the World Meteorological Office published a report entitled Statement on the State of the Global Climate in 2019. Noting that 2019 had been the second-hottest year since records began, this report dedicated an entire section to the planet’s ocean.

Landing In Hot Water

The report stated that 2019 was a year of unusually high temperatures in the world’s oceans. Globally, vast swathes of the planet’s waters suffered a “marine heatwave,” with almost two months of the year considered to be unusually warm. The upper layer of the ocean was particularly heated throughout 2019, at times breaking previous records.

Rising Tides

The issue with all this is that increasing temperatures in the ocean significantly affect the Earth as a whole. The wider climate of the planet is impacted, not least because the water expands as it heats up, causing sea levels to surge in height as a result. What’s more, ocean ecosystems experience some striking shifts thanks to the rising temperatures, which can lead to extremely negative outcomes for some organisms within them.

The Effects Of Climate Change

The World Meteorological Office report stated that from 2009 to 2018, the ocean swallowed up just under a quarter of the world’s annual carbon dioxide emissions. This helped to ease some of the immediately obvious effects of climate change, but it came at the cost of a massive hike in the acidity levels of ocean waters generally. Ultimately, a variety of sea organisms and their habitats suffered as a consequence.

Irreversible Damage

Analysis of the oceans has told us that the levels of oxygen within their waters are dropping. And it doesn’t take a science degree to realize that this isn’t a good thing for the living things in marine habitats. According to predictions, it looks as though coral reefs are set to experience huge amounts of damage because of these changes.

A Vital Ecosystem

Such reefs are fascinating marine formations, made up of the skeletons of tiny creatures collectively known as coral. When robust, the structures play a vital role in allowing algae to flourish. Basically the organisms supply various chemicals that serve to screen the marine plants from sunlight’s more harmful elements, much like sun lotion protects human skin.

Symbiotic Relationships

Like almost every plant, algae produce their food via photosynthesis, a process that, as we all know, yields oxygen as a waste product. In turn, the coral thrives in such highly oxygenated environments. In this way, the relationship between coral and algae is defined as symbiotic. Indeed, it’s no real exaggeration to say that algae are responsible for coral’s magnificent colors.

Coral Bleaching

The complementary functions of coral and algae are delicately balanced, meaning that disruption can be catastrophic to both. So, as the ocean’s temperature soars, algae end up generating toxins that damage coral. This, then, has negative impacts upon the algae themselves. The phenomenon is known as bleaching, as it leads to the coral losing their brilliant colors and turning milky in appearance.

Potential For Disaster

It has to be said that not all bleached corals will necessarily expire for good. Sometimes, their health can bounce back, provided the warm temperatures to which they’ve been exposed go down once again. If the waters stay hot, though, then the outcome really doesn’t look good for the structures.

Human Interference

It’s not just global warming on its own that threatens to destroy coral reefs. Other human interference can also contribute to coral’s decline, like large-scale fishing or when harmful chemicals flow into the water. Intense storms can also make things worse, as can certain organisms that live in such underwater ecosystems.

Of The Utmost Importance

Dr. Erika Woolsey is an ecologist who specializes in coral reefs, and in 2017 she delivered a presentation on the subject. Here, she stated, “Coral reefs... provide food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people around the world, they protect shorelines from erosion, and they contain compounds that are used to treat human ailments... Even though they cover less than 1 percent of the sea floor, they harbor about a quarter of all marine biodiversity.”

The Great Barrier Reef

Perhaps the most well-known structure of its kind is the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Sadly, this incredible formation has been far from immune to the negative impact of rising ocean temperatures in recent years. In fact, since 2015 three significant bleaching events have left their mark on this famous landmark, which is actually most properly described as a system of thousands of individual reefs.

A Well Of Discoveries

The Great Barrier Reef is situated off the shores of northeastern Australia. And it’s vast, stretching down the country’s coastline for roughly 1,430 miles. We can say for sure that the structures support the lives of at least 9,000 species, though the true figure is probably far higher. Discoveries are continuously being made there, after all.

Financial Benefits

Even if we look at the Great Barrier Reef from a purely economic perspective, its importance can’t be overstated. The structure attracts roughly 1.6 million people to the region annually, which funnels money into the area. This is meaningful for the people that live there, but of course the reef’s worth can’t simply be measured in financial terms alone.

Creatures Big And Small

The sheer extent of biodiversity that can be observed in the Great Barrier Reef is staggering. The place is home to creatures that everybody knows about, such as turtles, sharks, dolphins and even crocodiles. But on top of that there are also lesser-known species of worm and sea snake there, not to mention all the smaller organisms that make up the coral and algae.

Australia's Oceans

Given the threats to this vital marine ecosystem, we can say that research focused on the Great Barrier Reef is essential. It seems that the Schmidt Ocean Institute agrees with this sentiment, seeing as how the group’s recently been involved in studies related to it. Of course, the group’s also been looking into the seawaters of Australia more broadly.

A New Superorganism

As previously noted, the Schmidt Ocean Institute has overseen some amazing discoveries in Australia over the last year alone. By April some 30 undiscovered species had been noted by the group’s researchers, with perhaps the most exciting being a siphonophore. Incredibly, this astounding superorganism measured roughly 150 feet in length, making it the longest creature on record.

An Impressive Specimen

Siphonophores are amazing things, made up of colonies of individual entities known as zooids. These creatures replicate again and again, until finally they can collectively be classified as one superorganism. The particular 150-foot specimen that was discovered by the researchers aboard the Falkor was a type of siphonophore known as an Apolemia.

Exciting New Fauna

The researchers also managed to record the presence of previously discovered organisms that had never been seen in Australia before. Examples of such creatures include the long-tailed sea cucumber and the Dana octopus squid, which glows in the dark. As well as that, varieties of squat lobster, barnacle and mollusk were found.

Significant Findings

One of the scientists who worked on this particular research voyage was Dr. Nerida Wilson. Speaking in a statement, the scientist reflected on the discoveries that she and her colleagues had made. She said, “We suspected these deep-sea areas would be diverse, but we have been blown away by the significance of what we have seen.”

The Circle Of Life

Schmidt Ocean Institute co-founder Wendy Schmidt, meanwhile, stated, “There is so much we don’t know about the deep sea, and there are countless species never before seen. Our planet is deeply interconnected – what happens in the deep sea impacts life on land, and vice versa. This research is vital to advance our understanding of that connection – and the importance of protecting these fragile ecosystems.”

A Plethora Of New Species

In September 2020 Schmidt Ocean Institute researchers revealed that they had recently been investigating the deepest parts of the Great Barrier Reef. Here, they stumbled upon yet more new species, including types of sponges and black corals. They also analyzed the geographical features of the area, hoping to gain a greater understanding of how such characteristics have affected the life found there.

Bringing Back Samples

The researchers actually managed to retrieve a sample of the rock that sits underneath the Great Barrier Reef. Such a feat had never been achieved before, so hopefully it’ll prove to be revealing down the line. Given that it’s thought to date back 40 or 50 million years, it’s bound to be of some scientific interest.

A Fish Of A Different Color

The scientists also encountered a Rhinopias agroliba, a particularly uncommon fish never before found swimming near Australia. And in addition to all these discoveries, the researchers also worked towards creating a map of the seabed. This was no small undertaking, considering that the area upon which they were focusing was three times the size of Sydney.

Biological Wealth

The executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute is Dr. Jyotika Virmani. Delivering a statement on her organization’s activities, the scientist reflected, “These maps, samples, and images are fascinating and provide a new understanding of the geological diversity and biological wealth of a region that is already world-renowned for its natural beauty. The data will help marine park managers to protect these ecosystems that are so vital for our global biodiversity and human health.”

A Big Thing To Miss

The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s mapping operations led to yet another incredible discovery in October. It seems that there’s no end to the things we have left to uncover in the depths of our oceans. This time, the group had found a previously unrecorded coral reef. And to be honest it’s not the sort of thing you might have thought it would be all that easy to miss. In fact, it’s a structure so large it’s taller than the Empire State Building in New York City.

First Of Its Kind

The coral reef stands near the Great Barrier Reef, but isn’t actually a part of it. It stands on its own, meaning that it’s the first structure of its kind to be found in more than 120 years. Technology is largely behind the discovery; having first been spotted during underwater mapping of the area, a submersible robot dubbed SuBastian was then deployed to investigate it.

Tip Of The Blade

The reef has been characterized as resembling a blade, with a wider bottom than its top. This lower end, in fact, is a little under a mile wide, rising to a height of 1,640 feet or so. The whole thing is underwater, with its tip sitting about 130 feet from the surface.

Technological Advances

The project’s head researcher Dr. Beaman expressed his joy with the find. He said, “We are surprised and elated by what we have found. To not only 3-D map the reef in detail, but also visually see this discovery with SuBastian is incredible. This has only been made possible by the commitment of Schmidt Ocean Institute to grant ship time to Australia’s scientists.”

Opening Up New Realms

Executive director Dr. Virmani, meanwhile, has expressed her own excitement. Noting just how much we have to learn about our own planet, she praised the technologies involved in this research. After all, they’re helping to open up new realms of knowledge of the seas.

Mysteries Of the World

Dr. Virmani said, “To find a new half-a-kilometer-tall reef in the offshore Cape York area of the well-recognized Great Barrier Reef shows how mysterious the world is just beyond our coastline. This powerful combination of mapping data and underwater imagery will be used to understand this new reef and its role within the incredible Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.”

Learning What We Can

More research was still to be undertaken after the discovery of this new coral reef, so perhaps we’ll soon be treated to yet more incredible news from Australia. These habitats are so important to the world that learning as much as we can about them is a vitally important task. In doing so, perhaps we can find ways to limit the damage that climate change looks set to inflict upon them.