Latest news with #Purkis
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Death pool with 10x more saltier water kills marine life, found below Gulf of Aqaba
Brine pools are hypersaline underwater lakes that are lethal to most marine life. Created from ancient salt deposits sleeping on the sea floor, they are so dense that their surface is nearly impenetrable. Despite being completely devoid of oxygen, they are still believed to hold secrets about the formation of Earth's oceans millions of years ago and may offer clues to life on other planets. Researchers from the University of Miami, who have been exploring the Red Sea, have identified such brine pools approximately 4,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Aqaba. The region which, according to the Bible, is thought to be where Moses "split the sea", is now offering new insights into its extreme underwater environment. The brine pools were found to contain water up to 10 times saltier than regular seawater. In addition, their severe anoxic conditions make them so toxic, that any marine creatures that enter are killed or paralyzed instantly. Moreover, as the brutal environment and toxic waters further debilitate marine life, predators lurk at the edges, ready to snatch helpless prey. Led by Sam Purkis, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, the team explored the area using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) on the OceanXplorer, a highly equipped research vessel capable of navigating Earth's most isolated regions. "We were very lucky," Purkis says adding that the team was focusing on the deep-sea trenches between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. "The discovery came in the last five minutes of the ten-hour ROV dive that we could dedicate to this project." The researchers suggest that these extreme environments mimic the harsh conditions of the planet's past, in this deep-sea location, where they believe life may have first originated. "Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic - without oxygen - conditions," Purkis explains, emphasizing that these brine pools may offer valuable clues in the search for extraterrestrial life. "Until we understand the limits of life on Earth, it will be difficult to determine if alien planets can host any living beings," Purkis adds. "Our discovery of a rich community of microbes that survive in extreme environments can help trace the limits of life on Earth and can be applied to the search for life elsewhere in our solar system and beyond." With only around 40 brine pools identified in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the recently renamed Gulf of America, the team believes they could provide insights into the origins of life. The team highlights their importance as natural time capsules, claiming that due to their untouched sediment layers and the very few organisms that thrive there, they might be preserving not only the region's historical records but also resembling conditions found on distant "water worlds" beyond our solar system. "Ordinarily, these animals bioturbate or churn up the seabed, disturbing the sediments that accumulate there," Purkis concludes. "Not so with the brine pools. Here, any sedimentary layers that settle to the bed of the brine pool remain exquisitely intact." Purkis and his team hope further explorations will help them better understand ancient oceans, climate changes, and how Earth's ecosystems evolved over millions of years. The study was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Shocking deep sea discovery made in area where Bible says Moses parted Red Sea
Scientists who have been exploring the Red Sea have discovered natural death traps in the region now believed to be the location where Moses parted the waters. The brine pools were found 4,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Aqaba, where the water is estimated to be up to 10 times saltier than normal seawater and a lack of oxygen causes the pools to kill or stun all marine life that enters it, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The study also claimed larger predators lurk near the edge of the pools to grab the helpless prey after they have succumbed to the effects. Deep-sea Discovery: Ancient Coral May Have Been The First Glow-in-the-dark Creatures, Study Finds A research team led by Sam Purkis, a professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences at the University of Miami, used remotely operated submersibles and deep-sea probes to explore the area of deep-sea trenches lying between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The team speculates that the environment caused by these conditions also mimics the harsh conditions of early Earth and believe this is especially true for this location in the deep sea where they speculate life may have first emerged. Read On The Fox News App "Our current understanding is that life originated on Earth in the deep sea, almost certainly in anoxic—without oxygen—conditions," said Purkis. Spooky Deep-sea Fish Rarely Seen By Humans Caught On Camera In Shallow Water: 'Nightmare Fuel' The study even suggested that these "death pools" could possibly provide clues assisting in the search for extraterrestrial organisms. This unique ecosystem is one of the most extreme environments on the planet, the study said, and that it was possible they resemble conditions found on distant "water worlds" beyond our solar system. Because very few organisms survive in the brine pools, the sediment layers have remained undisturbed and have preserved an archive of past climate changes and geological events. "Ordinarily, these animals bioturbate or churn up the seabed, disturbing the sediments that accumulate there," according to Purkis. "Not so with the brine pools. Here, any sedimentary layers that settle to the bed of the brine pool remain exquisitely intact." He and his team hope the pristine conditions will allow them to better study ancient ocean conditions and assist them in reconstructing climate patterns and tracking the evolution of Earth's ecosystems over millions of years. Oceanographers have discovered similar formations in the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Antarctic Ocean, but none at this article source: Shocking deep sea discovery made in area where Bible says Moses parted Red Sea
