Endless expanses of water at all times attracted and scared people at the same time. Brave sailors set off to travel in search of the unknown. Many secrets of the oceans remain unsolved today. It is not for nothing that one can hear from scientists that the hydrosphere is less studied than the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite. There is some truth in this, because the degree of knowledge of the world's oceans does not exceed 5%.
Ocean exploration
The study of the deep sea began much earlier than the exploration of outer space and distant galaxies. Devices were created that could lower a person to a considerable depth. Underwater technology and robotic systems were developed. The area of the oceans and its depths are so great that many types of bathyscaphes were designed to study them.
After the first human flight into outer space in 1961, scientists threw all their forces into the study of the Universe. Secrets of the oceans faded into the background, because getting to them seemed a lot harder. Initiated programs to study the seas have been frozen or reduced.
Interesting phenomena
Researchers obtained information about the existence of underwater rivers at the bottom of the oceans. Various compounds of hydrocarbons through cracks in the earth's crust exit under the thickness of water, mix with it and move. This phenomenon is referred to as cold seepage. However, the temperature of the gases is not lower than that of the surrounding water.
Submarine rivers are not the only interesting phenomenon. The area of the oceans is so large that a lot of the mysterious is hidden under it. Seven underwater waterfalls were discovered on the seabed, exceeding the size of known onshore counterparts. Such a strange movement of water is caused by a number of reasons:
- different temperature of water masses ;
- distinguishing salinity;
- the presence of a complex relief of the bottom surface.
The combination of all these factors causes the movement of water with a higher density, which rushes down.
Milky seas and false bottom
Glowing in the dark, the expanses of the ocean are called the "milk seas". Researchers repeatedly recorded such phenomena on film. There are many hypotheses that seek to explain their essence, but no one can name the exact cause of the glow of the waters. According to one of them, the "milk seas" are a huge accumulation of luminescent microorganisms. Some fish in the ocean also have a glow in the dark.
The false bottom is another mysterious phenomenon that science sometimes encounters. The first mention of it dates back to 1942, when scientists with the help of echolocators found at an depth of 4 hundred meters an unusual layer reflecting acoustic signals. Further studies found that this layer rises to the surface of the water at night, and again dives with dawn. Guesses of scientists were confirmed, this phenomenon was created by animals of the ocean - squids. They dislike sunlight and hide from it at great depths. Dense accumulations of these organisms do not allow sound waves to pass through.
Acoustic equipment also captures incomprehensible sound waves emanating from the seabed. They were discovered in the early 90s of the XX century. After some time, the instruments ceased to record this phenomenon. Once again, sounds appeared ten years later, becoming louder and more diverse. Scientists cannot indicate their source and cause.
Bermuda Triangle
There are other secrets of the oceans that cause panic in the common man. In certain places, air and sea vessels disappear without a trace along with people, giant whirlpools appear and shining circles are visible. Many have heard of the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, in which all of these phenomena are observed. The area of the zone is about 1 million km 2 . The rumor about this mysterious region went after the disappearance of military aircraft in 1945. They managed to convey information that they had lost orientation in space. Over the past time, dozens of similar cases have occurred.
These phenomena were investigated, various theories were put forward, trying to explain them. Many of them are pseudoscientific and cannot be taken seriously. One of the most reliable was voiced by D. Monaghan. He saw the reason for the accumulation of hydrocarbon and other gases in the solid state near the ocean floor. The occurring tectonic processes had an effect on them. As a result, the substances passed into a gaseous state and collected at the surface of the water.
The vessels went to the bottom, as the density of water decreased significantly. Airplanes lost their orientation under the influence of gases. The movement of hydrocarbons in water creates infrasound, which causes a person to panic. Such fear could force the entire team to leave the ship in a hurry. This is not the only mysterious zone in the vast expanses of water. What other secrets of the oceans have yet to be solved by scientists, one can only guess.
Bizarre world
Under water live a variety of organisms with an unusual appearance. Some of them are poisonous, others are harmless. An incredible variety of sizes and shapes, as well as unusual devices with which the animals of the ocean disguise themselves or hunt. Among the most mysterious is a huge octopus 13 m in length. This inhabitant of the underwater world has hit the camcorder lens recently. According to some reports, its size can be much larger, up to 18 m. Only sperm whales and polar sharks are equal in strength to it.
The depths of the sea have many invertebrate inhabitants and microorganisms that literally dot the bottom. The food for them is organics, which are strewed on top of them. The problems of the ocean are solved by its inhabitants themselves, for example, the issue of processing the remnants of living organisms. Exploring the features of the oceans, scientists discovered a bacterium that lives deep beneath its bottom. She lives under a three hundred meter sedimentary layer for many millions of years.
Coral
Corals living at depths of up to 6 km are a very interesting sight. Under such a layer of water, the temperature does not rise above + 2ºC. Their magnificence is not inferior to those that we see in the shallow waters of tropical seas. The life of these organisms proceeds slowly, and the range is very large.
It was possible to understand the extent of their distribution only after using trawls. Ocean fish began to be caught in such a barbaric way, destroying the bottom ecostructure. Not far from Norway, the largest place of their settlement was discovered. It has an area of over 100 km 2 .
Hydrothermal Miracles
One of the ecosystems was discovered by scientists in the area of hot underwater sources, where boiling water breaks out from under the earth's crust into the ocean. The territory is simply teeming with a variety of invertebrates and microorganisms. Among them, there are different types of fish. Bacteria were found that can live in water flows with a temperature of 121ºC.
The oceans cover 70% of the surface of our planet. Scientists have discovered many interesting and mysterious phenomena in its thickness. However, the basic secrets of the oceans have yet to be solved.