【央视新闻】万米海底，“奋斗者”号发现生命绿洲

Core Insights - An international research team led by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discovered the deepest known chemosynthetic life community at a depth of 9,533 meters in the Northwest Pacific Ocean [3][4] - The research, published in the journal Nature, reveals that these life forms do not rely on sunlight for energy but instead utilize chemical reactions from geological fluids for metabolism [3][5] Group 1: Discovery of Chemosynthetic Life - The study marks the first direct observation of the largest and deepest chemosynthetic life community, spanning over 2,500 kilometers of ocean trench [4] - The communities are primarily composed of deep-sea tube worms and bivalve mollusks, which sustain life by utilizing fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane [4] Group 2: Implications for Deep Sea Carbon Cycle - The research has significant implications for understanding the Earth's deep carbon cycle, revealing that methane in these environments is produced by microbial activity deep within sediment layers [5] - This finding suggests the existence of a previously unknown, large, and active deep biosphere that continuously converts buried carbon into methane, challenging traditional models of deep-sea carbon cycling [5] - The study indicates that chemosynthetic life may play a more crucial role in deep-sea ecosystems than previously thought, impacting the structure of these ecosystems [5] Group 3: Global Hadal Exploration Programme - This research is a key component of the Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP), a ten-year international scientific initiative aimed at uncovering the mysteries of Earth's deep oceanic trenches using advanced deep-sea technology [5]