A newly concluded Census of Marine Life, covering most of the world's seas and oceans, has discovered over 1,200 new species of sea creatures. The ten year study, completed in October, 2010, was composed of 3,000 scientists from 80 countries, including a few from Israel, and cost $370 million USD. The study was the first of its kind to make a thorough census and categorization of sea creatures, ranging from the smallest micro-biological specimens to the largest fish and mammals.
A newly concluded Census of Marine Life, covering most of the world's seas and oceans, has discovered over 1,200 new species of sea creatures. The ten year study, completed in October, 2010, was composed of 3,000 scientists from 80 countries, including a few from Israel, and cost $370 million USD. The study was the first of its kind to make a thorough census and categorization of sea creatures, ranging from the smallest micro-biological specimens to the largest fish and mammals.
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The scientific teams found a number of new marine species in the Mediterranean, including a multi-celled creature capable of living without oxygen (found on the sea bottom south of Crete) and a number of sea plants, fish and bacteria, unknown until now.
Bathypelogic ctenophone, Atlantic Ocean
The marine census coincides with the recent diving and marine mapping expeditions carried out by a joint American and Israeli scientific team, and called the Nautilus Marine Research Expedition. This expedition, involving unmanned marine submersibles, included extensive mapping of the Mediterranean seabed along Israel's coastline and taking extensive samples of marine life found in depths of more than 700 meters.
The findings of the historical "sea census" gives a more positive outlook to the world's marine life which has been threatened in recent years by over fishing, various types of marine pollution, and rising seas and sea temperatures attributed partially to global warming.
Article continues: http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/01/marine-censu/
