Scientists predict deep-sea life discovery in future Cameron dives

From SlashGear.com: Scientists predict deep-sea life discovery in future Cameron dives
James Cameron’s Challenger Deep dive 6.8 miles to the bottom of the ocean may not have turned up any of the monstrous sea beasts the Titanic director hoped for, but experts still expect new species to be discovered when more time can be spent at the inhospitable depths. “Three hours is just a drop in the bucket, and with more hours I think he’s going to discover cool things” Cindy Lee Van Dover, director of the marine laboratory at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, told MSNBC. “I was rooting for him to land and find strange-looking animals.”

Van Dover’s speciality is animal life that is found around hydrothermal vents, underwater geysers of hot water containing vital minerals and other nutrients. Areas of regular seabed, however, are generally harsh and ill-suited to life, she points out, though is mindful that it’s early days. “How many years have we been studying the ocean? And it took until 1977 to discover hydrothermal vents.”

She’s not alone in being hopeful, either. Deep-sea ecologist Bruce Robison of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in California expects incredible adaptations from whatever life is discovered at such inhospitable depths, though concurs that it’s likely to be found somewhat off the seabed.

“Anything that has adapted to thrive in that habitat is going to have some really remarkable adaptations,” he told reporters. “But most of the animals in the ocean don’t live on the bottom, so there’s an enormous potential for discovery up off the bottom as well.”

While Cameron joked that he hoped to discover beasts similar to the stories he remembers from his childhood during the record-breaking dive, in actual fact the only animal discovery is said to be inch-long shrimp-like creatures. Plans to bring back samples of sea life, rocks and water were scuppered when the hydraulic system powering the equipment failed, curtailing the dive itself.

Cameron has said plans to return to the Mariana Trench are already in the works, and that he is unconcerned by the hardware issues. “The important thing is that we have a vehicle that’s a robust platform” he argued after returning from the first dive. “It gets us there safely, the lights work, the cameras work, and hopefully next time the hydraulics will work.”