International Researches Discovers New Submarine Mounts and New Species in the Nazca Ridge
One of the New Specie Finded in the Nazca Ridge, Aug 29, 2024 Photo: @nektonmission
August 29, 2024 Hour: 4:36 pm
International researchers discovered a new submarine mount and twenty possible new species in the international waters of the Nazca Ridge, in the Pacific Ocean, reported on Thursday the Chilean conservation organization without profit, Oceana.
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“The newly discovered underwater mountain is over 1.9 miles (3,109 metres) high and supports a rich deep-water ecosystem. In addition to mapping this mount, a dive was carried out using an underwater robot to explore one of the mountain tops, finding ancient sponge and coral gardens”, said the foundation in a statement.
This discovery, carried out by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and in collaboration with Ocean Census and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, consisted of a 28-day expedition through these international waters, located 900 miles (1,448 kilometres) away from the Chilean coast.
The Nazca Ridge, an underwater range, together with the adjacent Salas and Gómez Ridge, are one of the areas considered to designate as a Marine Protected Area on the high seas.
“Our findings highlight the remarkable diversity of these ecosystems, while also revealing gaps in our understanding of how seamount ecosystems are interconnected.”, said Schmidt Ocean Institute’s senior associate scientist and marine technician, Tomer Ketter.
“We hope that the data collected in these expeditions will help inform future policy, protecting these pristine environments for future generations,” he added.
In these three expeditions carried out this year, they explored “about 25 seamounts on the Nazca and Salas and Gómez ridges,” as explained by Ketter, and where “they documented more than 150 previously unknown species and numerous animal range extensions”, and collected 20 new species.
Autor: CC
Fuente: EFE
