Chemosynthesis based community at a newly discovered seep site off the Lofoten islands or northern Norway. The bluish-white patches are mats of chemoautotrophic microbes. Some kinds of these bacteria live within siboglinid worms, that are visible as black patches, protruding a few centimeters out of the sediment.The rest of the worms’ bodies extend nearly a meter into the sediment, where they and their symbiotic bacteria ‘feed on’ reduced chemical compounds. The pinkish-white dots among the microbial mats are tiny snails that are believed to scoop up and eat the microbes. At 800 m depth, this site requires sophisticated equipment to access, yet it is full of human trash, an example of which is the 0.5L beer can visible in the image.
Photo Credit: Petromaks2-NORCRUST
Submitted by: Arunima Sen
