Notes
● In 1987 an expedition group discovered an object 1,240 meters deep in the ocean
● Found a 20 meter whale skeleton
● the whale was either a blue or fin whale
● they have discovered dozens of communities supported by whale skeletons
● there are about 400 different species that live around it
● the first hint that whale skeletons can host animal communities was as early as 1854
● they thought that the skeletons served as stepping stones ” for deep-sea animals to spread from one chemosynthetic
● they took dead whales that washed to the shore as an experiment by dropping them deep in the ocean
● in order to do this they added 2,700 kilograms of steel ballast to counteract the buoyancy of decomposition gases
● they dropped three whales and visited regularly until the 2000
● it was estimated that 69,000 whales die every year
Summary
In 1987 they discovered whale carcasses 1,240 meters deep in the ocean. They discovered that animal communities have lived there. It was also discovered that there are 400 different species of animals. They first had this idea in 1854 when they discovered whale skeleton deep in the ocean. In order to do an experiment of this scientist dropped dead whales in the bottom of the ocean with steel ballast to make it easier to go down. They checked the whales regularly to see the change. They then determined that these dead whales played a major role for other organisms.
Opinion
I think that the fact that dead whales serve as a community for fish is really interesting. Now I know that whales actually have a big part in the ecosystem of the ocean help other species that you wouldn't think would have any relationship to whales.
● Found a 20 meter whale skeleton
● the whale was either a blue or fin whale
● they have discovered dozens of communities supported by whale skeletons
● there are about 400 different species that live around it
● the first hint that whale skeletons can host animal communities was as early as 1854
● they thought that the skeletons served as stepping stones ” for deep-sea animals to spread from one chemosynthetic
● they took dead whales that washed to the shore as an experiment by dropping them deep in the ocean
● in order to do this they added 2,700 kilograms of steel ballast to counteract the buoyancy of decomposition gases
● they dropped three whales and visited regularly until the 2000
● it was estimated that 69,000 whales die every year
Summary
In 1987 they discovered whale carcasses 1,240 meters deep in the ocean. They discovered that animal communities have lived there. It was also discovered that there are 400 different species of animals. They first had this idea in 1854 when they discovered whale skeleton deep in the ocean. In order to do an experiment of this scientist dropped dead whales in the bottom of the ocean with steel ballast to make it easier to go down. They checked the whales regularly to see the change. They then determined that these dead whales played a major role for other organisms.
Opinion
I think that the fact that dead whales serve as a community for fish is really interesting. Now I know that whales actually have a big part in the ecosystem of the ocean help other species that you wouldn't think would have any relationship to whales.