Discovered many mysterious creatures under the Pacific Ocean, some living up to 15,000 years old

Scientists have just captured images of beautiful and mysterious creatures at a depth of 5,000m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean .

The pristine area where the creatures were discovered is considered a site for mining rare and essential deep-sea metals, including natural resources widely used in solar panels and batteries. electric cars, green technology and other purposes.

A transparent deep sea creature called unicumber - (Photo: NHMDeepSea Group).

Many organisms are new to science

The 45-day expedition to the Clarion-Clipperton region documented the biodiversity of the abyssal plain. Using remotely operated vehicles, scientists photographed deep-sea life and took samples for future research.

"Many of these species are new to science. Sometimes they have been seen, observed or known about before but not formally collected or described," said Regen Drennan, marine biologist at the Museum Natural History London, said. "These specimens will be brought to the museum to be identified and studied for years to come ," she added.

Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey estimates that there are 21.1 billion tons of dry gomtallic nodules (mixed ores of many metals on the seabed) existing in the Clarion-Clipperton area. This region contains more essential metal reserves than all the world's terrestrial metal reserves combined.

The cup-shaped sponge is said to have a lifespan of up to 15,000 years - (Photo: NHMDeepSea Group).

The federal agency estimates that if deep-sea mining follows a similar trajectory to offshore oil production, by 2065 more than one-third of these critical metals will come from deep-seated mines. ocean.

According to the Natural History Museum, scientists believe that many of the creatures that live in the mined area and call it home will find it difficult to recover once the metal ores are removed. They are calling for measures to protect these species.

Consider between exploitation and environmental protection

In international waters, the Clarion-Clipperton area is beyond the jurisdiction of any country. The International Seabed Authority, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, has issued 17 exploration contracts.

Several countries, including the United Kingdom and France, have expressed caution, supporting a moratorium or ban on deep-sea mining to protect marine ecosystems and conserve biodiversity.

Pink amperima sea cucumber, nicknamed "Barbie pig" - (Photo: SMARTEX).

According to a June 2023 study published in the journal Current Biology , approximately 6,000 to 8,000 species may be waiting to be discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton region.

The pink amperima sea cucumber , nicknamed "Barbie pig" , is one of the largest invertebrates living in the deep sea. Along with the transparent protozoan, this creature is a type of manatee that belongs to the scientific family called Elpidiidae .

Drennan, who was not directly involved in the expedition, explained that Barbie pigs eat debris that sinks from the water surface to the seabed and plays a very important role in the turnover of organic matter.

The expedition also captured images of cup-shaped sponges, which are believed to have a lifespan of up to 15,000 years, the longest of any creature on the planet.

According to the Natural History Museum, many of the organisms that live at these depths depend on gomtallic nodules, which form gradually through underwater chemical processes.

Researchers estimate it takes about 1 million years for the gomtallic nodules to grow to just tens of millimeters in size. The largest known gomtallic nodules are about 20cm in diameter, suggesting that environments at the bottom of the ocean have remained largely unchanged for tens of millions of years.

They say the noise could affect marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, and that mining residues could contain toxic compounds caused by equipment on the seabed. then disperse, causing harm to the aquatic ecosystem.

Scientists warn that deep-sea mining could also disrupt the way carbon is stored in the ocean, contributing to the climate crisis.