When it comes to the knowledge of our universe, and the knowledge of our own oceans here on Earth, there are still many questions unanswered. From brine pools to Jupiter's Red Storm, here are six interesting phenomena associated with two vastly unknown areas:
The Ocean:
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It is estimated that Earth is roughly 71percent water-covered. Of that water, it is estimated that we have only discovered about one-third of the species that inhabit it. However, you may have heard these statistics many times. Here are three interesting unsolved phenomena of the ocean:
Brine Pools:
A brine pool is a large area of brine (solution of salt and water) on the basin of the ocean. Remember Goo Lagoon from SpongeBob? This type of occurrence is actually feasible. With salinity of around 3-5 times greater than that of the ocean, usually only extremophiles (an organism that can withstand and thrive in extreme conditions) can live within them. Sometimes, mussels live around the edges of these pools, but just as often do not. This phenomena has not yet been explained.
Milky Seas:
Milky Seas, also known as mareel, is the phenomena of large areas of the ocean appearing to glow so strongly at night that it can be seen by orbiting satellites. Since 1915, over 200 sightings have been reported, the largest covering roughly 6,000 square miles of the ocean's surface. Current studies suggest that these occurrences can be attributed to bioluminescent bacteria (also called sea sparkles) glowing a ghostly blue at night. However, there is no research to prove that it is possible for these bacteria to uniformly light up the sea for days at a time.
Deep Sea Gigantism:
Though you may have heard of this one, it is simply too interesting to reject from this list. Deep Sea Gigantism is the tendency for animals that exist far below the sea to be abnormally large. Some notable organisms that display this tendency are the deepwater stingray, and giant isopod. The reason for the tendency is unknown, but it is speculated that it may be due to the increased pressure, or adaptation to scarce resources.
Space:
It is not certain how much we have discovered of our universe as we do not know how large it is, and some speculate that it may be ever-expanding. We also are unsure as to whether or not other life forms exist outside of Earth, or if any other planet could potentially be habitable. Since these topics are commonly speculated, here are three amazing phenomena associated with space that you may not know about:
Six-Tailed Asteroid:
There is no better way to put how space.com describes what this never-before-seen occurrence looked like. They describe its appearance as "a space rock with six tails, spewing dust from its nucleus like spouts of water radiating from a lawn sprinkler." The scientists believe that this may be a leftover piece from a much more massive space rock that was formed 200 million years ago, but the reason for the six tails of dust is unknown.
Jupiter's Red Storm:
Jupiter's Red Storm, or the "Great Red Spot" is a mystery that has baffled scientists from as early as the 1600s. The hurricanes we endure on Earth are nothing to those of Jupiter, with the Great Red Spot facing winds of up to 400 mph lasting roughly 150 years so far, possibly longer. The liquid ocean of hydrogen surrounding Jupiter, as well as the majority of the atmosphere consisting of hydrogen and helium, provides the planet with no solid ground to weaken these storms. It is believed that the research and understanding of the Great Red Spot can help us to better understand the storms we have on Earth. More information can be found on NASA's website.
The Distant Monster:
The Distant Monster is an enormous planet, sized up to about 11 times that of Jupiter. This planet is extremely interesting as it makes the largest known orbit around a star. It is estimated that the distance between the Distant Monster and its star is roughly 650 times that of our average distance to the Sun. This phenomenon makes the question of planet formation highly unknown.
There is an incredible amount of research to be done when it comes to the vast Universe, as well as in the oceans of our own planet. These six phenomenon are just a handful of the endless amounts of questions still speculated. I can only hope that some of the explanations will become available in my lifetime.
SciShow, Wacky Wednesday, and AllTime10s, were extremely valuable resources when it came to composing this list. Thank you!
