Thousands of new kinds of marine microbes have been discovered at two deep-sea hydrothermal vents off the Oregon coast by scientists at the MBL (Marine Biological Laboratory) and University of Washington's Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean.
Their findings, published in the journal Science, are the result of the most comprehensive, comparative study to date of deep-sea microbial communities that are responsible for cycling carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur to help keep Earth habitable.
|
©NOAA Vents Program, NeMO Seafloor Observatory
|
Image of diffuse flow hydrothermal vent Marker 52 taken in 2006 by the Remotely Operated Vehicle ROPOS during the NeMO 2006 expedition to Axial Seamount.
|