When the hot jets reach the cold ocean water, the minerals condense and create structures on the sea floor, said Rona. "Besides mineral deposits, the hot water and minerals provide habitats and energy for heat-loving microbes at the bottom of a food chain of newly discovered deep-ocean life forms. These microbes contain enzymes and bioactive compounds that can be used in such applications as DNA finger-printing, detergents, food preservation, oil-drilling and pharmaceutical production."
Rona recently delivered a keynote address at a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides a "constitution" for management of the oceans. "When the Law of the Sea was negotiated, we had little realization of how far we had to go in terms of retrieving these materials commercially and no knowledge of the microbes or living systems present," he said.
"Miles down, the ocean is an extremely hostile environment. Sea water is corrosive; the pressures are huge. It's analogous to exploring outer space in terms of a hostile and alien environment," he said. "We are only beginning to discover the immense richness and diversity of sea floor resources."
The public will have an opportunity to view Rona's undersea work in a giant-screen film to be released later this year, entitled "Volcanoes of the Deep Sea," produced by the Stephen Low Company and Rutgers University. Major funding for the film project is provided by the National Science Foundation with additional outreach funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean Exploration.
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Contact: Bill Haduch
bhaduch@ur.rutgers.edu
732-932-7084
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
30-Jan-2003