An unexpected treasure in the Antarctic Ocean

2007/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia
• Ozeanografia

In order to study the deep waters of the Antarctic Ocean well, a group of international scientists launched the project called ANDEEP. Between 2002 and 2005 three expeditions were made. In these deep waters they found great prosperity: More than 1,400 species were found, of which about 700 were new species never described.

Until then, no one did concrete research to analyze the diversity of living beings in these deep waters. But all the forecasts indicated that diversity would be very small, because the living conditions are very harsh.

With this discovery they have removed an idea that was considered certain for years. In addition, they have discovered other things. They have discovered that some of the deep living beings of the Antarctic Ocean resemble both the living from the surface waters of the same sea and the deep ones of other world oceans.

These similarities reflect the life movements that have occurred throughout history. On the one hand, at some point in history, the deep living beings of the Antarctic Ocean came to the surface or vice versa, and on the other hand, they have seen the deep waters of the world's oceans constantly mingle.