The Most Confounding Underwater Discoveries of 2023

"The Most Confounding Underwater Discoveries of 2023"

"The deep sea is a mysterious and alien world. However, every year, scientists make discoveries about the ocean depths that help piece together parts of the puzzle, and this year is no different. From giant underwater mountains and the deepest living fish to mysterious golden spheres and perplexing methane leaks, here are the 10 best deep-sea discoveries of 2023."

The translation of "Gunung bawah laut raksasa" to English is "Giant underwater mountain."

"In November, researchers conducting seabed mapping near Guatemala discovered a giant underwater mountain, or seamount, that is twice the height of the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa."

The conical-shaped structure that has a height of 1,600 meters or equivalent to 5,250 feet is located at a depth of 2,400 meters or 7,870 feet below sea level, and is the remnants of an ancient underwater volcano covering approximately 14 square kilometers or 5.4 square miles. Researchers discovered it using multibeam sonar during a six-day voyage between Costa Rica and the East Pacific Rise — the tectonic plate boundary in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The translation of "Gelombang panas dasar laut" to English is "Underwater heat waves".

In a study in March, researchers revealed that some of the deepest points in the ocean may have experienced previously unknown heatwaves that threaten the creatures living there.

"Marine heatwaves near the sea surface, which are the result of human-induced climate change and oceanographic phenomena such as El Niño, have been recorded for several decades. The models reveal that these deep ocean heatwaves can be more extreme and last longer than surface heatwaves."

The translation of "Bola emas misterius" to English is "Mysterious golden ball".

"In September, researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) unearthed a mysterious golden ball from the seabed in the Gulf of Alaska."

"The researchers lifted the gold ball from an underwater mountain about 3,300 meters below the surface using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV)."

The mysterious object has a width of about 10 centimeters and appears to be connected to a stone. When pulled to the surface, most of the ball structure disappears and "melts" into a sticky pile.

The translation of "Gunung berapi yang tertutup telur" to English is "Volcano covered with eggs."

"In July, researchers explored an ancient underwater volcano off the coast of Pacific Canada and discovered that it is still active — and covered by up to 1 million egg-sized balls."

Underwater mountains, rising 1,100 meters above the seabed, spew warm water rich in nutrients that support the thriving deep-sea coral ecosystem and become a breeding ground for Pacific white rays. The rays have laid many rectangular-shaped eggs, known as "mermaid's purses," on the mountain. Scientists estimate there are between 100,000 to over one million eggs in the area.

The translation of "Kebocoran metana yang membingungkan" to English is "Confusing methane leak".

"In August, researchers discovered a large and puzzling methane leak originating from the bottom of the deepest point in the Baltic Sea."

The team found that the greenhouse gas was "practically bubbling everywhere" from an area of about 20 square kilometers, roughly 4,000 football fields, at a depth of about 400 meters. The gas rising from this area reaches a height of about 20 meters below the sea surface. Researchers think that methane comes from organic material decomposing on the seabed, but it is unclear why there is so much of it and why it rises so high in the water column.

Fish with the deepest inhabitant that has ever existed.

"In April, scientists released a chilling recording of a group of ghostly white fish swimming on the ocean floor more than 5 miles (8 km) beneath the waves in one of the deepest trenches in the world."

Ikan dengan penghuni terdalam yang pernah ada

The unidentified snailfish species, which likely belongs to the genus Pseudoliparis, was observed by researchers operating a ROV in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench near Japan at a depth of 27,349 feet (8,336 m). The immense pressure at this depth would crush most fish. However, snailfish have replaced their scales with a gelatinous layer that helps absorb this pressure. Snailfish also contain special chemicals that protect them at the cellular level.

The translation of "Terumbu karang laut dalam" to English is "Deep-sea coral reef."

"During a 30-day expedition off the coast of Ecuador, ocean explorers discovered a pair of pristine deep-sea coral reefs near the Galápagos Islands."

The reefs are located about 1,000 feet (300 m) below the surface of the sea, much deeper than most coral reefs, and the larger of the two is over 2,600 feet (800 m) long.
"They become home to many other creatures including crustaceans, anemones, starfish, and sea urchins."

Expedition also confirms the presence of two sea peaks in the nearby area, which had previously been detected by scientists through satellite data.

'The pristine wilderness' is threatened.

In the research conducted in May, the researchers revealed that one of the most promising locations for future deep-sea mining activities is home to over 5,000 newly identified animal species, all of which could be in danger of extinction if humans begin mining in the area.

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast seabed deformation, stretching from Mexico to Hawaii and covering approximately 2.3 million square miles. Researchers analyzed over 100,000 individual records collected from the area and estimated that 90% of the species they identified could be new species to science. Deep-sea mining, which could officially begin in the coming years, may threaten all those species.

The translation of "Dunia bawah yang tersembunyi" to English is "The hidden underworld."

"In August, scientists exploring hydrothermal vent fields in the Pacific Ocean discovered a hidden ecosystem buried beneath a mini volcanic dome."

"Hydrothermal vents, located on the East Pacific Rise near Central America, have been studied for over 40 years. They have discovered a variety of underwater creatures including worms, snails, and octopuses that thrive in the depths of the ocean. 'The discovery of a truly remarkable new ecosystem, hidden beneath another ecosystem, provides new evidence that life exists in extraordinary places,' the researchers wrote."

The translated text is: "The 'astonishing' volcano map"

"In April, researchers published a "stunning" map of over 19,000 underwater volcanoes around the world, most of which are new discoveries."

The researchers used radar data from various satellites to complete the map. The satellites look for small deviations in gravity caused by underwater volcanoes and can detect underwater hills as small as 1,100 meters. The team believes that the map could help scientists understand more about ocean currents, plate tectonics, and climate change.

"This map is one of the most comprehensive compilations of underwater mountains ever created, but researchers still argue that there are thousands of structures yet to be discovered on the ocean floor."

Source: Live Science

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