There's a 'Desert' in The Middle of The Pacific. Here's What Lives There

[Judi Lynn]

PETER DOCKRILL 11 JULY 2020

In the centre of the South Pacific, there's a place as far away from land as anyone on Earth could ever hope to get. The ocean is different there.

These distant waters lie at the heart of the South Pacific Gyre, the centre of which holds the 'oceanic pole of inaccessibility': the ocean's remotest extreme, aka Point Nemo (a name meaning 'no-one'), famous otherwise for being a spacecraft cemetery.

But aside from the ghosts of burnt-up satellites, what dwells under these far-off waves?

Not much, scientists have long thought. Despite taking up 10 percent of the ocean's surface, the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) – the largest of Earth's five giant ocean-spanning current systems – is generally considered a 'desert' in terms of marine biology.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/there-s-a-desert-in-the-middle-of-the-pacific-here-s-what-lives-there

[jpak]

1. Sailed and sampled the N. and S. Pacific Gyres in 2003

Published the molecular (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) community structures of both gyres 3 years ago.

There are no seabirds there - none.

Deserts indeed

But the N. Gyre garbage patch was shocking.

Ugh

[JennyStevens]

2. Wow! That's amazing

I had no idea there were deserts in the ocean. That is incredible. I kind of want to go there now and see it for myself.