Home » Technology » العلماء يكتشفون محيطات ضخمة من المياه العذبة تحت قشرة الأرض – DW عربية

العلماء يكتشفون محيطات ضخمة من المياه العذبة تحت قشرة الأرض – DW عربية

05.04.2023

A recent study reported that huge quantities of fresh water may be trapped in one of the layers of the earth, and that the volume of this water is many times the volume of water on the surface of the earth. Scientists say that the study may open the door to how water appeared on the surface of our planet.

Geologists say they believe there is a vast ocean of fresh water hidden beneath the Earth’s crust.

A recent research study indicates that there is a huge supply of water located 400 miles underground stored in a rock known as Ringwoodite. Scientists from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said a reservoir of water three times the size of all Earth’s oceans has been discovered deep within the planet’s surface.

It is worth noting that this discovery can help explain the origin of the water on Planet EarthSpecifically, it may help us determine the source of the seas and oceans and possibly help us better understand life on our planet.

Scientists had previously discovered that water is stored within the “mantle rock” region – one of the layers of the globe – in a sponge-like state, which is neither liquid, solid nor gaseous, but a fourth state instead. A study was published in 2014 about that strange physical state of water.

Scientists reached those results at the time after studying earthquakes and discovering that seismographs were picking up shock waves below the surface of the earth. Later they were able to prove that water was trapped in the rock known as Ringwoodite.

The study indicated that the high water storage capacity in the Earth’s mantle (which has a thickness of 410 to 660 km) indicates the possibility of a huge reservoir of water, according to what was published by the “Futuresm” website.

Geophysicist Steve Jacobsen, one of the study’s co-authors, said: “Ringwoodite rocks are like a sponge, as they absorb water greatly due to the crystal structure of Ringwoodite, which allows it to attract hydrogen and trap water inside it.”

“This type of rock could contain a lot of water in the deep mantle,” Jacobsen, who was part of the team behind the discovery, added. “I think we are finally seeing evidence of the entire Earth’s water cycle, which may help explain the existence of That huge amount of liquid water on the surface of our planet… Scientists have been searching for this missing deep water for decades.”

Some scientists argue that Earth’s water likely came from asteroids or comets, which is the most prominent theory currently, as it indicates that Solar System At the beginning of its formation it was very hostile to water of any kind, especially with the sun sending out huge amounts of intense ultraviolet radiation that could break down water molecules by dehydrogenation From the water molecule, according to the “NDTV” website.

This prompted scientists to believe that ice It may have formed far in the solar system, and that bodies carrying it (comets or asteroids) subsequently collided with a cooler Earth over millions of years, first concentrating in the Earth’s interior, trapped within mantle rocks, and then gradually ejected to the surface by plate tectonics to form seas. And oceans, according to geophysicist Steve Jacobsen, who was one of the scientists responsible for the discovery.

Water covers about 71% of the surface of the planet, and according to the recent study, if the rock contains only 1% of the water on the surface of the earth, this means that the volume of water held in these rocks within the mantle layer is three times the volume of water in the oceans, given The huge size of these rocks in the heart of the earth.

Emad Hassan

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Our blue planet

The oceans cover about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and host the marine biology world, the essential part of life, as they produce between 50 and 80 percent of the oxygen, and therefore they play an important role in the carbon cycle on Earth. Scientists believe that the history of the emergence of seas dates back to 4.4 billion years.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Seas and oceans.. a world full of secrets

Far from its vast area, the information available to us about the oceans is very limited, which poses a challenge to scientists whose efforts do not stop to uncover the secrets of life in the belly of the oceans and seas. It is important at this point in time, which is witnessing clear climatic changes, to know the changes that occur in life cycles within the seas and oceans and to deal with them in the best possible way.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

The planet’s natural conditioner

The oceans play a pivotal role in regulating the Earth’s temperature by absorbing and reflecting sunlight, and climate changes have begun to affect this mechanism, something that affects the planet’s temperature, the carbon cycle, and oxygen production.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Various forms of life

The seas and oceans embrace at least 230,000 species of plants and animals, as fish and non-vertebrate animals find a safe place for them in the depths of water bodies, and plants thrive greatly in shallow water bodies, while huge aquatic organisms such as whales, sharks and dolphins prefer flats open water.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

The strangest and most amazing beings

Scientists suggest that more than two-thirds of life forms in the oceans and seas have not yet been discovered. Every year, scientists discover new types of plants and animals, which are completely different from everything that has been discovered so far, just like this organism, which scientists called the “worm fish”, after its discovery in 2007.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Warning alarm!

The loss of this algae color is a sign of danger. The thriving color of these organisms and their accelerated growth depend on microorganisms, whose work is affected by environmental pollution and high temperatures, and this is what appears in their pale color.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Organisms that cannot protect themselves from heat

Climate changes represent a clear threat to life in the seas and oceans, as recent studies have monitored an increase in the rate of extinction of some species of fish and marine organisms, by up to twice as much compared to similar species on land. The high temperature is primarily responsible for these changes, as aquatic organisms in the seas and oceans do not find places to take refuge from the high temperature.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Incalculable dangers of melting ice

The rise in the earth’s temperature causes the melting of snow in the icy regions, which in turn leads to a rise in the water level in the seas and oceans, as well as the emission of methane gas, which leads to what is known as the “acidity of the oceans”, which refers to an increase in the acidity of water bodies.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Human connection with water…a threatening relationship?

Different peoples have settled along the coasts for thousands of years and benefited from the seas as sources of life and food. The seas and oceans have clearly influenced different civilizations. About a billion people now live in the coastal areas, a life that has been threatened by the rising levels of water bodies.

Seas, oceans… A mysterious world groans in silence

Protecting wildlife… challenges awaiting future generations

The percentage of water bodies that humans have not yet approached constitutes no more than 13 percent of the total area of ​​​​water bodies in the world. Fishing operations, in addition to technological developments, have left almost no area, no matter how remote and uninhabited it may seem. Protecting these few areas is a huge responsibility for future generations. Anne Moles/A.F

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