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Scientists find new species in Atlantic


__Kratos__

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OSLO (Reuters) - 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 on 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 1-5 km (0.6-3 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 in the United States.

"We found perhaps 10-20 new species of zooplankton," he said of the 20-day voyage by 28 scientists from 14 nations in April.

Most life, including commercial fish stocks, is in the top 1 km of water, but the scientists said the survey showed a surprising abundance even in the depths. 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 40 cm (15 inches), and a 20-cm-long great swallower, with wide jaws and a light-producing organ to attract prey.

"By 2010, the research ... will provide a baseline against which future generations can measure changes to the zooplankton and their provinces, caused by pollution, over-fishing, climate change, and other shifting environmental conditions," said Ann Bucklin, lead scientist for the zooplankton census project at the University of Connecticut.

GLOBAL WARMING

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 in power plants, vehicles and factories since the Industrial Revolution.

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, for instance by making it harder for crabs or oysters to build shells.

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

By one estimate, 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) of plant phytoplankton is needed to feed 1,000 kg of small zooplankton.

The expedition was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and used NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown. The findings are also part of a wider Census of Marine Life trying to map the oceans.

Scientists from Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States took part.

Source

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Awesome finds in the unexplored ocean. Just think of all the other things we haven't seen down there! :)

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This was on discovey channel the other day..It just goes to show how little we really know about our own sea's and what live's in them.... :hmm:

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I wanna see a pic of this "great swallower". At 20cms long maybe they should have named it an "adequate swallower".

Edited by Mr. 420
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Size does not indicate anything...

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man frogfish stop with the dirty jokes :blush: , and this proves my point that we know almost nothing about the oceans

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Size does not indicate anything...

Its all relative...

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but this find proves that we know so little about the oceans

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but this find proves that we know so little about the oceans

But this is also relative...minute things.

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but iit could mean large things could exist without us knowing

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but iit could mean large things could exist without us knowing

Possibily, but probably not...

definitely no mermaids.

Edited by frogfish
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did I say mermaids, no I did not. I have given up on trying to prove to people what I saw, I know what I saw but I am not talking about anymore, there you happy!

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did I say mermaids, no I did not. I have given up on trying to prove to people what I saw, I know what I saw but I am not talking about anymore, there you happy!

:yes:

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:no::no::no: , I say what I saw, but I am so tried of fighting you over it so just leave the fight for another day
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:no::no::no: , I say what I saw, but I am so tried of fighting you over it so just leave the fight for another day

I beleive you, if for no other reason than to disagree with Mr. Know-it-all.

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I beleive you, if for no other reason than to disagree with Mr. Know-it-all.

:no:

Ignorance is bliss...

I just heard that one of the species trawled up was a new kind of dragonfish :yes:

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Ignorance is bliss...

your one to be talking frogfish :mellow::wacko: , I mean you think we know more than 5% of what there is to know, 5% is about the highest guess, even that is a little hopeful if you ask me

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I mean you think we know more than 5% of what there is to know, 5% is about the highest guess, even that is a little hopeful if you ask me

....and what's your point?

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....and what's your point?

that, we know very little about the earth

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FACT:

Frogfish knows 7.8% more than the average animal, vegetable, or mineral.

And he has a mint like scent, although he is toxic if swallowed.

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FACT:

Frogfish knows 7.8% more than the average animal, vegetable, or mineral.

And he has a mint like scent, although he is toxic if swallowed.

A sense of humor, I can appreciate...

Flaming, I cannot.

I would like to know how much YOU know...Not much compared to what I have if you are the 'average person'.

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FACT:

Frogfish knows 7.8% more than the average animal, vegetable, or mineral.

And he has a mint like scent, although he is toxic if swallowed.

I couldn't agree more let me see the things Frog knows ..That sugar will not contribute to broken bones or diabetes..that animal fats will not lead to heart problems such as strokes and coronarys...that Mumps has been erradicated (yet he posted a article on a recent outbreak) Frog just knows that pharmasueticals will save the day..and that global warming is nothing to be concerned with...and since we have cannines that proves wea are meat eaters natuarally......and the list goes on..but you gotta love the kid........

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I couldn't agree more let me see the things Frog knows ..That sugar will not contribute to broken bones or diabetes..that animal fats will not lead to heart problems such as strokes and coronarys...that Mumps has been erradicated (yet he posted a article on a recent outbreak) Frog just knows that pharmasueticals will save the day..and that global warming is nothing to be concerned with...and since we have cannines that proves wea are meat eaters natuarally......and the list goes on..but you gotta love the kid........

Ignorance and flaming is rampant here :no:

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Ignorance and flaming is rampant here :no:

Frog how is this flaming????/these are some of the issues you and I have had correct????

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