The Mariana Trench

The Mariana Trench

by Abigail Slate
Mrs. Meakim
Period 2 Science
Facts on the Mariana Trench
Size:
  • Deeper than Mt. Everest is tall by over a mile
  • 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon
  • Runs for roughly 1550 miles
  • Extends down nearly 7 miles
Location:
  • Located just east of the Mariana Islands
  • East of Japan
  • East of the Phillipine Sea
  • North of New Guinea
Facts:
  • The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument (est. 2009), covering 95,216 square miles of submerged lands, is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world.
  • On *date*, James Cameron dove down into the Mariana Trench in a submarine, to study its diverse organisms
    • It took him 2 hours and 36 minutes to hit the bottom on his way down, and 1 hour and 10 minutes to break the surface on his way back up.
  • The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of Earth's oceans; in fact, it is the deepest location on all of Earth itself.
  • The deepest part of the ocean is known as the abyssal zone.
Mariana Trench Images
Map Location

In comparison to Mt. Everest
what does this do
Sea cucumber
Angler Fish
Biology in the Mariana Trench
  • MICROORGANISMS
    • The microorganisms living at this depth are immune to heavy metals that are toxic to other organisms; this could lead to biomedical breakthroughs if scientists can discover how these microorganisms resist the metals.
    • These microorganisms can also feed on methane and various oils.
  • XENOPHYOPHORES
    • Single-celled organisms
    • Many nuclei, but one cell
    • Up to 4 inches in length
    • They consume food by surrounding and absorbing it
  • FISH
  • Snailfish
    • Currently hold the record as deepest living fish ever photographed
    • It was filmed 4.8 miles below the surface
  • CRUSTACEANS
  • Amphipods
    • Related to shrimp
    • They will eat almost anything, including each other
  • MOLLUSKS
    • It's hard for them to grow shells because of the water pressure deep in the trench
    • Snails with soft shells have been discovered in the trench
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works Cited

“Biology.” Deepsea Challenge. National Geographic, 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://deepseachallenge.com/the-science/biology/>.

“Deepest Place in the Ocean: Challenger Deep.” Extreme Science. N.p., 1998. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://extremescience.com/deepest-ocean.htm>.

“First Trip to the Deepest Part of the Ocean: The Bathyscaphe Trieste Carried Two Hydronauts to the Challenger Deep in 1960.” News and Information about Geology. geology.com, 2005. Web. 20 Oct. 2012.

“Giant Amoebas Discovered in Deepest Ocean Trench.” LiveScience. N.p., 21 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/16678-giant-amoebas-discovered-deepest-ocean-trench.html>.

“Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle Nereus Reaches Deepest Part of the Ocean.” Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. <http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7545&tid=3622&cid=57586>.

“James Cameron Completes Journey to Deepest Spot on Earth.” NBC. NBC News, 2012. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46850002/ns/technology_and_science-science#.UHwW99k9fao>.

“The Mariana Trench.” The Mariana Trench. N.p., 2003. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://marianatrench.com/>.

“Thirty Years of Discovering the Mariana Trench.” Hydro International. Geomares Publishing, Oct. 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://www.hydro-international.com/issues/articles/id1049-Thirty_Years_of_Discovering_the_Mariana_Trench.html>.

“U.S. Marine Protected Area Photos.” National Geographic - the Ocean. National Geographic, 1996. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/us-marine-protected-areas/#/mariana-trench-monument-mpa_17661_600x450.jpg>.

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