How deep does life exist in the ocean?

Some very early life could have made it by staying deep—living as far as six miles below the seafloor. That’s the implication from a new study that found signs of microbes alive today below the deepest place on Earth, the vast underwater canyon called the Mariana Trench.

What is the deepest part of the ocean with life?

The Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench contains the deepest known points on Earth, vents bubbling up liquid sulfur and carbon dioxide, active mud volcanoes and marine life adapted to pressures 1,000 times that at sea level.

Is there life at the bottom of the Mariana Trench?

The organisms discovered in the Mariana Trench include bacteria, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, octopuses and fishes. In 2014, the deepest living fish, at the depth of 8000 meters, Mariana snailfish was discovered near Guam. Fish living closer to the surface of the ocean may have a swim bladder filled with air.

Is there life in the ocean below 1000 meters?

The area of the ocean between 650 and 3,300 feet (200-1,000 m) is called the mesopelagic. Barely any light filters down to these depths, and yet still life thrives here. Squid, krill, jellies, and fish are super abundant in this zone.

Why is the Mariana Trench so deep?

One reason the Mariana Trench is so deep, he added, is because the western Pacific is home to some of the oldest seafloor in the world—about 180 million years old. Seafloor is formed as lava at mid-ocean ridges. When it’s fresh, lava is comparatively warm and buoyant, riding high on the underlying mantle.

What lives in the middle of the ocean?

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters – being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore – in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs….Forage fish.

Is there a sea under the sea?

A gigantic freshwater aquifer is hiding under the salty Atlantic Ocean, just off the northeastern coast of the United States, a new study finds. This aquifer may contain about 670 cubic miles (2,800 cubic kilometers) of slightly salty water (we’ll explain its slight saltiness later).

How deep is the deepest ocean in the world?

Measuring the Greatest Ocean Depth The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in Earth’s oceans. In 2010 the United States Center for Coastal & Ocean Mapping measured the depth of the Challenger Deep at 10,994 meters (36,070 feet) below sea level with an estimated vertical accuracy of ± 40 meters.

What conditions exist for life in the deep ocean?

What conditions exist for life in the deep ocean? Organisms living in the deep ocean must be adapted to survive under extreme pressure, limited light, cold temperatures, and other factors. Organisms living in the deep ocean must survive in a physical environment that is radically different from ocean habitats near the sea surface.

How cold does it get in the deep ocean?

The lack of light in the deep ocean also means that it is very cold down there; below about 200 meters (656 feet) depth, ocean waters have an average temperature of only 4°C (39°F).

How deep can a robot dive into the ocean?

They reached a depth of 10,916 meters (35,814 feet). In 2009 researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution completed the deepest dive by an unmanned robotic vehicle in the Challenger Deep.