全释硬科技丨海底万米藏“生命绿洲” “深渊居民”靠什么存活？

Core Insights - The "Fendouzhe" submersible has discovered the world's deepest and largest chemosynthetic life community at nearly 10,000 meters deep in the ocean, challenging previous beliefs about life at extreme depths [1][2]. Group 1: Discovery and Exploration - The discovery was part of China's "Global Abyss Exploration Program," led by the Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, and took place in the Kuroshio-Kamchatka Trench and Aleutian Trench at a depth of 9,533 meters [2]. - The findings reveal a vibrant ecosystem at the ocean floor, spanning 2,500 kilometers, which contradicts the traditional understanding of life existing at such extreme depths [2]. Group 2: Survival Mechanisms - The survival of these deep-sea organisms relies on sediment at the ocean floor, where fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane emerge, serving as food sources for these organisms [3]. - These deep-sea residents possess pressure-resistant mechanisms capable of withstanding 1,000 atmospheres and have "micro-factories" that convert these chemical substances into nutrients necessary for survival [3]. Group 3: Implications for Carbon Cycle - Methane, which nourishes these chemosynthetic communities, is produced by microorganisms located even deeper in the ocean, suggesting the existence of a larger ecosystem that transforms buried carbon into methane, forming vast methane reserves [3]. - This hidden "carbon factory" at the ocean floor may play a significant role in regulating the global carbon cycle and potentially influencing climate change [3].