The Global Trench Connection "Mountains Not Just Peaks”

Image Source and Courtesy Schmidt Ocean Institute. Expedition Mariana

New studies of the Mariana Trench -recently made internationally famous thanks to the James Cameron Expedition promise not only to reveal the Mariana trench ecosystem but could reveal the connection between the world trench global system.

On January 5th El Mundo reported on new biodiversity discovered in the Challenger Abysm of the Mariana Trench. Trench expeditions to depths of 8 thousand to 10 thousand meters are just being born and despite having started in the late 50s mostly driven by net capture studies are now blooming thanks to new unmanned technology.

The new expedition broke international press wide an open highlighting mostly the discovery a fish swimming just as home over 8.1 thousand meters below surface waters. Previous to the discovery it was believed that no vertebrate could withstand the forces of pressure of the trenches depths. The expedition assures that fish live at depths of 6 thousand to 8 thousand meters and maybe even more. The fish most notorious highlight is perhaps the morphological shape of its head and skull shaped much like dolphin -a fact which speaks by itself. The deepest waters of the trench are also habitat of crustaceous -another fact which speaks by itself of the richness of the deep waters of the trench.

But the team of the Schmidt Institute has more ambitious plans than just discovering new species it has set its agenda for the study of the entire ecological system of the Mariana Trench.

“Many studies have center in the depths (of the Challenger Abyss) but from an ecological point of view it is very limited. It is like attempting to understand how the ecosystem of a mountain works by just looking at the peak,” Jeff Drazen of the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute stated.

Their objective continues to expand and looks not only into ecological investigation but geological research.

The Hadal Ecosystems Studies HADES Program -a collaborative project, funded by the National Science Foundation on the mission to answer the foremost questions of trenches explains that world trenches found around the world are still today a “frontier for science”. Trenches are found in all basins of the world oceans. What connections does the global trench system hold in its is deep secret depths?

Global Trenches consist of deep ocean trenches and troughs, represents the deepest marine habitat on Earth. In total they expand as far as the continent of Australia To the date more than 400 species are known to live in the 21 trenches around the world -a number which promises to rise exponentially soon.

The tools which are being used today for Trench exploration are not of the kind of “where no man can go machines do the job” but rather becoming an extension of human presence. Falkor Expeditions assures to be about to submerge a new extension for science which will blow away the minds of those open minded. Additionally Falkor also has hands on a new lander -basically an underwater elevator capable of reaching incredible depths in incredible record time.

HADES adds that the exploration has been slow due to the lack of resources and lack of technology available on the planet capable of descending into the depths.

The Mariana Trench was more than inspiration for James Cameron. The Director donated the submarine he used in his expedition to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution WHOI which have participated in the Falkor expedition -expedition responsible of the new studies.

Bacteria, species, sound, microbial role, composition of water, water chemistry, molecular activity, RDNA, food webs and food puzzles, geological information, energy cycles, crust, volcanic activity, minerals, natural resources, “extensive fissures” and other issues will be at hand in the near future.

Falkor assures they will return to the Mariana Trench for research and build on work that began during explorer and director James Cameron’s 2012 Deepsea Challenger Expedition.

Trenches today called Hades could see a name change as expeditions reveal that in the bottom and throughout the depths of these immense submerged inverse mountains life forms are more abundant than ever imagined. Functions of the trenches as a global system seem to emerge for the first time in history.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.