Researchers discover rare brine pools in the Red Sea

Posted on 07/12/2022 17:44

(Credit: Disclosure / NEOM)

Researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel College of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences have discovered rare salt pools in the Gulf of Aqaba in the northern Mediterranean. The Red Sea. These underwater lakes are environments characterized by high salinity, strange chemistry, and lack of oxygen. But despite the harsh conditions, discovering these sites is a step toward understanding more about the formation of oceansas well as providing clues about life on other planets and harboring compounds with anti-cancer properties.

Until we understand the limits life on earth, it would be difficult to determine whether alien planets could host living organisms. said Sam Berkes, professor and chair of the Department of Marine Geosciences.

Researchers from the University of Miami have discovered saltwater pools 1,770 meters below sea level Sea, using a remotely operated underwater vehicle. “We were very lucky,” Birkes said, and according to the research, these environments retain information about tidal waves, floods, and earthquakes that occurred thousands of years ago.

The study is titled The discovery of NEOM salt pools in the deep sea in the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red SeaIt was published in the magazine Nature Communications Earth and Environment. The entire survey can be accessed on this link.