Discover the “oasis of life” hidden in the depths of the ocean in the Maldives
A team of “aquanauts” discovered that the Maldives contains an oasis of life in the depths of the oceans in a large water desert.
A recent submarine mission around a deep-water seamount in the archipelago has revealed a new type of thriving ecosystem that researchers say has never been described before.
They call it the “fishing zone”: a 500-meter-deep (1,640-foot) realm where large fish congregate to feed on microscopic nekton.
Microscopic nectons resemble zooplankton, although they are slightly larger, ranging in size from 2 to 20 cm (up to 7 inches).
These tiny organisms actively swim between the ocean surface and water one kilometer deep, creating a vertical wave of migration every day and night as larger fish follow to feed.
The Nekton Maldives mission is the first study to systematically map the deep waters of the Maldives, a chain of 26 atolls southwest of Sri Lanka and India. The mission is a joint project between a non-profit research institute of the same name, the Maldives government, and researchers at Oxford University.
Indeed, the international team discovered a new ecosystem surrounding the deep sea mountain “Satho Rahaa”, based on the movement of microscopic nectons.
As the sun rises each day, these tiny organisms begin to swim from the surface down. Near the Ghorian Seamount, submarine volcanic ridges and fossiliferous carbonate reefs formed 60 million years ago prevent the microscopic nekton from diving deeper than 500 metres.
Confined by the terrain, the animals became “sitting ducks” for larger predators, such as schools of tuna, hungry sharks and other deep-water fish such as the spiny oreo and fonsinus.
Not only did the team count large numbers of fish, but they also saw a great diversity of fauna. Their submarine has highlighted tiger sharks, gill sharks, golper sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, silky sharks, sand tiger sharks and even bramble sharks, which are relatively rare.
If such an ecosystem exists in the Maldives, it is likely to exist on other ocean islands with similar underwater structures.
The vertical back-and-forth movement of fish through the water column each day is, by some estimates, the largest mass migration on the planet.
A recently found trapping area in the Maldives could allow scientists to learn about these overlooked creatures in a whole new way, potentially allowing for better ocean conservation practices.
Source: ScienceAlert