All About the Ocean

[Ralph Wiggum]

The ocean accounts for 71% of the surface of the earth. Its average depth is 13,000 feet deep which is over two miles, yet only 5% of it has even been explored. We know more about space than we do our own ocean.

I'm an oceanographer (serious) and will gladly answer any questions you have. I may not know the answers to everything, but I do have a vast knowledge of it.

I know miscers are fascinated by the deep-sea so I figured I would start this thread.

Discuss..

[burnedfish]

I don't know hardly anything about the oceans...does the salinity vary by location, or is it pretty uniform?

Why are the oceans salt-water?

[wildphucker]

Blooooooop


wtf was Bloop?

[Muckle_Ewe]

How do animals survive at ridiculous depths?

If we were bring them to the surface (without them dying somehow...) and tried to crush them with equivalent weight (like say, 16,000lbs per square inch for Mariana Trench). Would they survive?

[whyumadson]

so what you tryin to say OP?

theres something in our oceans?...................that has **** in there.............Whoop DOO?

[Ralph Wiggum]

I don't know hardly anything about the oceans...does the salinity vary by location, or is it pretty uniform?

Why are the oceans salt-water?

Salinity does vary by location. Areas of the earth where precipitation is greater than evaporation are generally less salty than the opposite. I.e., hotter latitudes are saltier because of more evaporation of water which causes more concentration of salt.

The oceans are salt water due to mineral deposition of rocks. A simple explanation is that as the ocean formed, water basically leached minerals from the rocks and created saltwater.

[Seann_]

I took oceanography in high school, which was one of my favorite subjects.

I love reading/hearing/watching about deep water things. Like the Mariana Trench and whatnot.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Blooooooop


wtf was Bloop?


Dunno brah. I'm not an ocean acoustics scientist and I don't really know underwater animal sounds.

[Ralph Wiggum]

How do animals survive at ridiculous depths?

If we were bring them to the surface (without them dying somehow...) and tried to crush them with equivalent weight (like say, 16,000lbs per square inch for Mariana Trench). Would they survive?

Evolution brah. Deep Sea animals have evolved so that they do not have a lot of empty cavities that would crush at these depths. These animals are often soft and blobby.

No, they wouldn't survive. They would be crushed like a bug. Hydrostatic pressure =/ Mechanical pressure

I can elaborate more later on but right now, I have to go and take a dump

[rejosu]

Why the eff aren't we exploring our ocean more than space??

When are we going to see more primeval fishes?

[10.lber]

Do you believe there are gigantic ocean creatures hiding away in some remote locations of the ocean?












http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/10lber/squid2.jpg



:(

[Bob_Ross42]

The ocean accounts for 71% of the surface of the earth. Its average depth is 13,000 feet deep which is over two miles, yet only 5% of it has even been explored. We know more about space than we do our own ocean.

I'm an oceanographer (serious) and will gladly answer any questions you have. I may not know the answers to everything, but I do have a vast knowledge of it.

I know miscers are fascinated by the deep-sea so I figured I would start this thread.

Discuss..

doubt it

[Eric-Navy]

doubt it

I think he meant to say we have studied space more than our own oceans.

[TheHellion1989]

Here's a cool video on a bioluminescence amongst deep sea creatures:

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[j00k]

I think he meant to say we have studied space more than our own oceans.

that shyt always bothers me when people say that (no ragging at anyone)

[Skies]

How do animals survive at ridiculous depths?

If we were bring them to the surface (without them dying somehow...) and tried to crush them with equivalent weight (like say, 16,000lbs per square inch for Mariana Trench). Would they survive?

They are able to survive because of the fact their bodies put an outward pressure to counter-balance the pressure on them by the water. So taking them up to shallower depths, the pressure becomes unbalanced forcing everything outwards and then die.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Do you believe there are gigantic ocean creatures hiding away in some remote locations of the ocean?












http://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss86/10lber/squid2.jpg



:(


Nope. It's possible, but it would really be hard for an unseen enormous animal to sustain itself, especially in the deep sea. Baleen Whales can live in the ocean successfully because they feed on a large amount of things that are lower in the food chain. These organisms often feed on primary producers and as a result, are packed with energy. Basically, there is not enough energy for a new, huge species to survive down in the deep sea unless they are actively hunting at all times, like Giant and Collosal squid.

[Ralph Wiggum]

They are able to survive because of the fact their bodies put an outward pressure to counter-balance the pressure on them by the water. So taking them up to shallower depths, the pressure becomes unbalanced forcing everything outwards and then die.


This, however, some deep-sea fish don't have swim bladders and don't always die from the decreased hydrostatic pressure towards the surface.

[Ralph Wiggum]

that shyt always bothers me when people say that (no ragging at anyone)

What bothers you?

That more money and time is being spent on space research than our own ocean, which is where life originated?

Or people who say it like it is a fact (which it is)?

[Skies]

This, however, some deep-sea fish don't have swim bladders and don't always die from the decreased hydrostatic pressure towards the surface.

Ah I see, didn't know that

Also, how much species do you think we have discovered/not discovered, percentage wise, in the ocean? Is there a estimated value?

I'm talking anything from sea plants to crazy jellyfish

[mistaballoonhan]

how long do you think it will be before proper reserves are created for the oceans?

what area do you work in?

[backinbusiness]

Do you think the ocean floor will cave due to the oil being released by BP causing a massive toxic gas release combined with tons of water displacement sending tsunamis across the planet wiping out 95% of all life?

[TheHellion1989]

Nope. It's possible, but it would really be hard for an unseen enormous animal to sustain itself, especially in the deep sea. Baleen Whales can live in the ocean successfully because they feed on a large amount of things that are lower in the food chain. These organisms often feed on primary producers and as a result, are packed with energy. Basically, there is not enough energy for a new, huge species to survive down in the deep sea unless they are actively hunting at all times, like Giant and Collosal squid.

Deep Sea gigantism has been exhibited in several species (Giant Isopod, Japanese Spider Crab, Seven Arm Octopus, Colossal Squid, Giant Squid and Bigfin Squids are all species that are larger then their counterparts that inhabit shallower areas of the Ocean). It is plausible that there are more species exhibiting Deep Sea gigantism that we have not yet discovered. Nobody knows why so many deep sea animals exhibit gigantism but apparently they are more successful because of it(Two theories are that there is less of a need for physical activity in larger oceanic animals in such environments and another is that sexual maturity is delayed in these species because of the scarcity of resources and therefore they continue to grow for prolonged periods of time). Kind of confuses me because one would think smaller animals would be more successful in such extreme conditions. It is very interesting though and I reserve the right to be wrong about the information I've presented. Anyone have anymore info on this?

[ImHuge07]

Nope. It's possible, but it would really be hard for an unseen enormous animal to sustain itself, especially in the deep sea. Baleen Whales can live in the ocean successfully because they feed on a large amount of things that are lower in the food chain. These organisms often feed on primary producers and as a result, are packed with energy. Basically, there is not enough energy for a new, huge species to survive down in the deep sea unless they are actively hunting at all times, like Giant and Collosal squid.

How do you know that there aren't thousands or millions of species of sea life in the deepest darkest parts of the ocean that we aren't even capable of exploring yet?

[Sounds Good]

Do you believe in Loch Ness monster?

[forgot password]

Nope. It's possible, but it would really be hard for an unseen enormous animal to sustain itself, especially in the deep sea. Baleen Whales can live in the ocean successfully because they feed on a large amount of things that are lower in the food chain. These organisms often feed on primary producers and as a result, are packed with energy. Basically, there is not enough energy for a new, huge species to survive down in the deep sea unless they are actively hunting at all times, like Giant and Collosal squid.

here's what you're not taking into account. We've found whole ecosystems based off of animals that feed off of sulfur or other materials and no longer are based off of photosynthesis. Who's to say these don' exist all over in parts of the ocean we haven't explored? They'd provide food for a number of giant carnivores.

[forgot password]

http://www.firstscience.com/home/articles/nature/life-in-the-dark-deep-sea-ecosystems_1359.html

The hydrothermal vents - which are essentially geysers on the sea floor - support exotic chemical-based ecosystems. Some scientists think the vents are modern-day examples of environments where life began on Earth billions of years ago. And the vents might also hold clues to life on other planets.
The thriving communities of life that surround these hydrothermal vents shocked the scientific world when the first vent was discovered in 1977.
Before 1977, scientists believed that all forms of life ultimately depended on the Sun for energy. For all ecosystems then known to exist, plants or photosynthetic microbes constituted the base of the food chain.


In contrast, these vent ecosystems depend on microbes that tap into the chemical energy in the geyser water that billows out from the sea floor -- energy that originates within the Earth itself.

Deep-sea bacteria form the base of a varied food chain that includes shrimp, tubeworms, clams, fish, crabs, and octopi. All of these animals must be adapted to endure the extreme environment of the vents -- complete darkness; water temperatures ranging from 2°C (in ambient seawater) to about 400°C (at the vent openings); pressures hundreds of times that at sea level; and high concentrations of sulphides and other noxious chemicals.

http://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/web/3546_web.jpg

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[Ralph Wiggum]

here's what you're not taking into account. We've found whole ecosystems based off of animals that feed off of sulfur or other materials and no longer are based off of photosynthesis. Who's to say these don' exist all over in parts of the ocean we haven't explored? They'd provide food for a number of giant carnivores.

Brah, they aren't huge ecosystems. Cold Seeps and Hydrothermal vents ecosystems are found in small pockets across the ocean. It's not like they are vast underwater oasis at the bottom of the ocean. These ecosystems do grow back extremely quickly though when there is an underwater eruption and are completely wiped out. So, other animals do feed off these vent/seep creatures, but they aren't in a large enough abundance to sustain giant animals.

This is a subject I know an awful lot about. I took a course as an undergraduate specifically on Hydrothermal Vents. My professor was one of the most important people in pioneering vent research. He actually was the science director of the IMAX film "Volcano's of the Deep Sea."

[Ralph Wiggum]

how long do you think it will be before proper reserves are created for the oceans?

what area do you work in?

Years. Marine Protected Areas exist all over the world, but illegal fishing happens at most of these places. Governments simply cannot afford the money that it costs to pay employees to protect an entire MPA. It's also dangerous because in third world countries, they will not hesistate to kill you.

Japan, the EU, and many African countries are totally against these reserves and blocking trading on certain animals. Japanese people cannot live without their Atlantic Bluefin tuna and whale meat and Chinese without their shark fin soup. Japan will do anything, i.e. paying off small countries that have NO interests in any of these trades, to repeatedly strike down proposals by the US to ban trade and "scientific catch". The most recent one happened in March where Japan led the charge against the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna trade. At the rate they are being caught and also due to the fact that the Deepwater Horizon spill is right below one of their breeding grounds, they are going to be commercially extinct within the next two years.

If you want to read about the plight of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna.. check out this article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/magazine/27Tuna-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

It's very sad.

[Ralph Wiggum]

How do you know that there aren't thousands or millions of species of sea life in the deepest darkest parts of the ocean that we aren't even capable of exploring yet?

There are. It's just that the most nutrient rich parts of the ocean are the upper photic zone. Most things that live in the abyss and especially the hadal plane, are scavengers. They feed on the dead bodies and decaying matter that gradually sinks to the bottom of the ocean. These animals are advantageous and can travel long distances in search of food that falls to the bottom.

It is possible for an animal larger than the Colossal squid to exist in the deep sea, but it is not very likely. We don't even know enough about the life history of the Colossal squid and Giant squid to know how they survive that deep. The only thing we know is that they are active hunters. So a large animal must be an active hunter in the deep-sea.

[forgot password]

Brah, they aren't huge ecosystems. Cold Seeps and Hydrothermal vents ecosystems are found in small pockets across the ocean. It's not like they are vast underwater oasis at the bottom of the ocean. These ecosystems do grow back extremely quickly though when there is an underwater eruption and are completely wiped out. So, other animals do feed off these vent/seep creatures, but they aren't in a large enough abundance to sustain giant animals.

This is a subject I know an awful lot about. I took a course as an undergraduate specifically on Hydrothermal Vents. My professor was one of the most important people in pioneering vent research. He actually was the science director of the IMAX film "Volcano's of the Deep Sea."

Nice, link us up to some good material to read/explain some stuff.

18ft, not big per se, great whites are bigger
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found a cool site though
http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/sixgill-shark.html

[TheHellion1989]

Here are some cool videos on some Octopus:

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SCAIedFgdY0

4Tcnq2iYJJo

vqFQU7zn4kQ This one is pretty ****ing crazy.

[forgot password]

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_gallo_on_life_in_the_deep_oceans.html

[QT]

doubt it

We know more about the face of the moon than our own oceans.

[Sendug]

Always loved the ocean. Loved going diving when I lived in the middle east. When you start thinking about depth and pressure it literally is mind = blown.

[Ralph Wiggum]

bump

[Drop_Dead]

do you think there is any chance at all of something like the megalodon shark still being alive?

i didnt really think so because we shouldve found teeth by now, or something at least that isnt millions of years old. but would like to see your opinion.

[alegend90]

Nope. It's possible, but it would really be hard for an unseen enormous animal to sustain itself, especially in the deep sea. Baleen Whales can live in the ocean successfully because they feed on a large amount of things that are lower in the food chain. These organisms often feed on primary producers and as a result, are packed with energy. Basically, there is not enough energy for a new, huge species to survive down in the deep sea unless they are actively hunting at all times, like Giant and Collosal squid.

the only workaround i can see to this is if the giant creature got a large amount of energy to sustain itself from a direct energy source such as a deep sea vent similar to those worms and other things use.

[TheHybrid]

Have you ever got to go down into a deep sea vessel?

If I ever hit the lottery I'd pay to go down on one. I think seeing all the bioluminescenct creatures would be awesome.

[Ralph Wiggum]

do you think there is any chance at all of something like the megalodon shark still being alive?

i didnt really think so because we shouldve found teeth by now, or something at least that isnt millions of years old. but would like to see your opinion.

no way man. we would see something that big because it would need to be close to the surface in order to survive. theres not much food to sustain such a huge creature in the abyss.


Have you ever got to go down into a deep sea vessel?

If I ever hit the lottery I'd pay to go down on one. I think seeing all the bioluminescenct creatures would be awesome.

nah bro. i wish. some of my colleagues here at Rutgers have been down on Alvin on the east pacific rise. actually, i believe five of my professors, now colleagues, have been to these vents. one of them actually discovered the paleodictyon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleodictyon). theres actually an imax movie about it called "volcanoes of the deep sea." you may have seen it. one of my professors was the science director and the other one was in the movie as he discovered the paleodictyon. Rutgers is one of the pioneers of deep sea research and it continues to be researched here a lot.

[Ralph Wiggum]

heres an article about my professor... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/science/25fossil.html

[Ralph Wiggum]

here is what I do (partly)

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