Invertebrate larvae at hot, biologically active deep sea vents can be swept up and transported hundreds of kilometers by surface-generated currents caused by the weather, according to research published this week in Science.
Hydrothermal vents on the sea floor
Copyright Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The discovery provides one solution to the long-standing question of how materials -- including heat, chemicals and living organisms -- present at hydrothermal vents are transported throughout the ocean.
"What's neat about this paper is the idea that right next door to a mid ocean ridge system is a source of energetic eddies that can slowly flush things out into the ocean and populate other areas," said Richard Thomson of the Institute of Ocean Sciences in Canada, who was not involved in the research. "That's new and innovative."
To read the full, original article click on this link: Deep sea taxis - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences
Author: Megan Scudellari
