(ANSA) – SANTIAGO DE CHILE, 04 SEPTEMBER – Imagine a volcano Etna (3340 m), in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 1448 kilometers from the Chilean coast instead of on the eastern side of our Trinacria: in fact, the height of the underwater mountain recently discovered and mapped by a team of oceanographers directed by the Schmidt Oceanic Institute in California is almost identical. The difference by defect is 231 meters, ascertained thanks to a sonar system placed under the hull of the ship, and capable of functioning with sound waves, as reported by CNN.
In what is their third expedition to the Nazca Ridge in international waters, researchers using an underwater robot have documented the presence of about twenty potentially new species of marine creatures, as well as rare ones, such as a whitish Casper octopus (a first for this deep-sea cephalopod, which has never been seen in the South Pacific) and two rare “Bathyphysa conifera” siphonophores, also known as flying spaghetti monsters for their filamentous appearance.
According to Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Institute, the explored region could be a candidate to become the first marine protected area in the high seas in the world, thanks to the new UN treaty adopted in 2023, which is currently being ratified by various states. (ANSA).
2024-09-04 09:27:35