The Secret Life of Brine Pools
Deep Sea Brine Pools appear to be biological dead-zones in the ocean, and yet an astounding abundance of ocean life can be found lining the shores of these toxic lakes. Mussels, hagfish, crabs and even sharks frequent these isolated hotspots to hunt.
2022-04-05 19:00:00 - Natural World Facts
A community of uniquely adapted organisms is able to thrive on the brine pool shore; in a similar fashion to the life that inhabits deep sea hydrothermal vent communities, we find organisms capable of chemosynthesis, as well as other organisms preying on them – all interacting and existing on the borders of a toxic pool of brine.
As the energy here is largely supplied by chemosynthesis, rather than sunlight, brine pools also mirror hydrothermal vents in demonstrating how the extreme deep sea ecosystem is unique in the ways in which it supports life.
There are no photosynthesising primary producers converting sunlight to energy, as the light of the sun cannot reach these depths. Instead, energy is supplied by the Earth itself.
00:00 - An Introduction to Brine Pools
01:39 - Brine Pool Origins - Formation in the Gulf of Mexico
03:01 - Brine Pool Origins - Landforms and Features
04:10 - Life on the Edge - Hot Tubs of Despair
05:31 - Life on the Edge - Biological Hotspots
06:54 - Life on the Edge - A Chemosynthetic Oasis
07:54 - Life on the Edge - Ecological Interactions
09:12 - Life on the Edge - A Delicate Ecosystem
09:38 - Conclusion