Study uncovers new species

Tiny sea creatures are discovered in Atlantic during climate survey.


Study uncovers new species

image0-Study uncovers new species

OSLO - Scientists have found about 10-20 new species of tiny creatures in the depths of the Atlantic in a survey that will gauge whether global warming may harm life in the oceans, an international report said Thursday.

The survey, of tropical waters between the eastern United States and the mid-Atlantic ridge, used special nets to catch fragile zooplankton - animals such as shrimp, jellyfish and swimming worms - at lightless depths of one-half to 3 miles.

"This was a voyage of exploration ... the deepest parts of the oceans are hardly ever sampled," said Peter Wiebe, the cruise's scientific leader and senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

The survey will provide a benchmark to judge future changes to the oceans.

New finds among thousands of zooplankton species caught included six types of ostracods, a shrimp-like creature and other species of zooplankton such as swimming snails and worms.

Zooplankton are animals swept by ocean currents, mostly millimeters-long but ranging up to jellyfish trailing long tails.

Among 120 types of fish caught, the scientists found what may be a new type of black dragonfish, with fang-like teeth, growing up to about 15 inches, and an 8-inch-long great swallower, with wide jaws and a light-producing organ to attract prey.

Most scientists believe the planet is warming because of a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mainly from human burning of fossil fuels.

The oceans absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide but the process raises levels of carbonic acid in the seas. That build-up could threaten marine life.

Zooplankton are a key to transporting carbon dioxide to the depths because they can swim 500 yards up and down daily. Many species eat their own weight every day in plant phytoplankton species near the surface.


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