Hot water found in the Arctic: 11-08-2008
A team of researchers has discovered hot water vents deep in the Arctic Sea.
The scientists, from Norway's University of Bergen and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, announced the find last week.
The vents release jets of boiling water, sometimes up to 400 degrees Celsius, as part of the earth's natural ecosystem.
The jets, named 'black smokers' are located 73 degrees north on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The scientists have also discovered new life forms, believed to be feeding on the minerals being spouted out with the materials emitted from the vents.
It is a unique discovery in that these are the coldest waters yet recorded to experience the phenomenon.
It is believed that the occurrence of the vents is part of the earth's coolant system, with the streams of hot water flowing from as deep as 2,400 meters.
The first recorded instance of underwater vents was in the Galapagos Islands in 1977.