KID'S IDEAS presents<br />************************************************************************<br />About Blue Hole<br />************************************************************************<br /><br />American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <br /><br />Little is known about them, but that means nothing to scientists gearing up to plumb the depths of a mysterious hourglass-shaped "blue hole" off the coast of the US.<br />In August the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will begin a year-long expedition into the "Green Banana" - a 130-metre deep chasm in Florida's Gulf Coast – located 50 metres below the surface of the sea.<br />The team of scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the US Geological Society don't know what awaits them in the deep-ocean, but the NOAA is hopeful it will contain an abundance of sea life.<br />"A blue hole can be an oasis in an otherwise barren seafloor," it said in a statement.<br />"Blue holes are diverse biological communities full of marine life, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles, sharks, and more.<br />"The seawater chemistry in the holes is unique and appears to interact with groundwater and possibly aquifer layers."<br />Blue holes are basically sinkholes, similar to the ones found on land, the organisation added.<br /><br />The organisation said there are countless blue holes scattered across Florida's Gulf continental shelf. All vary in shape, size and length, which makes each expedition unique.<br />The hourglass-shape of the Green Banana has created "new challenges for the lander deployment and water sampling", the NOAA said.<br />A blue hole off Sarasota, Florida was explored in 2019 in what was the team's most detailed blue hole investigation to date.<br />The Amberjack Hole is located approximately 34 metres below the surface and was found to be more than 70 metres deep.<br />During this expedition scientists recovered water samples, four sediment cores and found two deceased smallfish sawfish – an endangered species - at the bottom.<br />Scientists will use the same techniques from the 2019 mission when they explore the Green Banana next month and in May 2021.<br />
