KID'S IDEAS presents
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About Blue Hole
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American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Little is known about them, but that means nothing to scientists gearing up to plumb the depths of a mysterious hourglass-shaped "blue hole" off the coast of the US.
In August the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will begin a year-long expedition into the "Green Banana" - a 130-metre deep chasm in Florida's Gulf Coast – located 50 metres below the surface of the sea.
The team of scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the US Geological Society don't know what awaits them in the deep-ocean, but the NOAA is hopeful it will contain an abundance of sea life.
"A blue hole can be an oasis in an otherwise barren seafloor," it said in a statement.
"Blue holes are diverse biological communities full of marine life, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles, sharks, and more.
"The seawater chemistry in the holes is unique and appears to interact with groundwater and possibly aquifer layers."
Blue holes are basically sinkholes, similar to the ones found on land, the organisation added.
The organisation said there are countless blue holes scattered across Florida's Gulf continental shelf. All vary in shape, size and length, which makes each expedition unique.
The hourglass-shape of the Green Banana has created "new challenges for the lander deployment and water sampling", the NOAA said.
A blue hole off Sarasota, Florida was explored in 2019 in what was the team's most detailed blue hole investigation to date.
The Amberjack Hole is located approximately 34 metres below the surface and was found to be more than 70 metres deep.
During this expedition scientists recovered water samples, four sediment cores and found two deceased smallfish sawfish – an endangered species - at the bottom.
Scientists will use the same techniques from the 2019 mission when they explore the Green Banana next month and in May 2021.
