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The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (President Kim Woong-seo, hereafter referred to as KIOST) announced that it had discovered the second and third hydrothermal vents in Korea in thedeep waters of the Indian Ocean and obtained biological samples that make upthe surrounding ecosystem. This discovery is expected to bring great progressin discovering new marine organisms, developing life resources and revealingthe secrets of life on Earth.

With the support of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, a research team led by Kim Dong-seong, who went on an exploration of the Indian Ocean aboard the Isabu, discovered hydrothermal vents. Onbada and Onnarae one after another at depths of 2,500 m to 3,000 m on November 6-7. Seven chimneys were arranged in Onnarae, and nine large and small chimneys were intricately intertwined in Onnarae, and the ambient temperature was about 303℃.

This is not the first time that South Korea has discovered a hydrothermal vent in the Indian Ocean. In 2018, the team of senior researcher Dong-seong Kim discovered the Onnuri Vent Field, the first in Korea and the fourth in the world. There was no further discovery since then, but the second and third hydrothermal vents in Korea were discovered by the same research team. With this, the number of hydrothermal vents that Korea has discovered in the Indian Ocean has increased to three. Researcher Kim said, “The data from past research (Future Marine Mineral Resources Development Project, Senior Researcher Seung-gyu Son and Jong-wook Kim) were very helpful in predicting the location of the hydrothermal vent.” We were able to see the vents and their surroundings.”

Hydrothermal vents are shaped like volcanoes. When seawater heated by magma rises through a weak crack in the crust, metal ions in the seawater come into contact with cold seawater and precipitate around the hydrothermal vent, forming a hydrothermal vent. It is a barren environment with high water temperature and pressure, no sunlight, and full of toxic substances, but various living things live there.
Unlike photosynthetic ecosystems, hydrothermal organisms maintain ecosystems through symbiosis, which is very important for understanding the mechanisms by which organisms adapt to extreme environments.

On the sea and around Onnarae, an ecosystem was formed using the black smoke emitted from the chimney as nutrients. The research team has secured various species and biological samples, and plans to investigate the function and structure of the extreme hydrothermal ecosystem,such as the mechanism of hydrothermal water generation and the circulation of materials inside the earth. Bioresearch data are also used for research on the development of source technologies for biodiversity and genetic resource utilization.

Director Kim Woong-seo said, “Finding hydrothermal vents in the deep sea is much more difficult than finding needles in the sand, but our research team has done it again. As it is called the key to unlocking the secrets of life on Earth, we will take the lead in research on marine life and development of mineral resources based on this achievement.”



https://www.kiost.ac.kr/cop/bbs/BBSMSTR_000000000075/selectBoardArticle.do?nttId=22062

last modified Feb 18 3:00PM, 2022, accessed Feb 18 3:00PM, 2022 Translated by J. Lee