A brine pool can stun or kill animals and even pickle them alive.
Scientists from the University of Miami have discovered a lethal pool at the bottom of the Red Sea that kills anything that swims into it. As per research, the brine pool was uncovered 1.7 kilometres beneath the surface using a remotely operated underwater vehicle. The scientists came across the deadly pool during the last five minutes of a ten-hour dive.
The researchers explained that a brine pool is a depression in the seafloor that is filled with highly concentrated salt water and other chemical elements which is saltier than the surrounding ocean. They said that these underwater pools can stun or kill animals and even pickle them alive.
Speaking to Live Science, lead researcher Sam Purkis described the deadly pools as “among the most extreme environments on Earth” and said, “Any animal that strays into the brine is immediately stunned or killed.”
Further, Mr Purkis informed that fish, shrimp and eels appear to use the brine to hunt. He explained that these creatures lurk near the deadly pool to “feed on the unlucky” creatures that inadvertently swim into it.
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The lead researcher stated that the discovery of such pools could help scientists work out how the oceans first formed on our planet. He also went on to say that the brine pools are home to a large number of microbes and are rich in diversity. He emphasised that these discoveries are essential as they can help determine if alien planets with similar hostile conditions can host any living beings.
“Until we understand the limits of life on Earth, it will be difficult to determine if alien planets can host any living beings,” Mr Purkis said.
Meanwhile, as per New York Post, this is not the first brine pool to be discovered by scientists. Over the past 30 years, oceanographers have been able to uncover a “few dozen” of the deadly pools in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.