www.physorg.com March 3rd … the Earth Institute at Columbia University has posted evidence of hydrothermal vents on the seafloor near Antarctica. These vents spew volcanically heated seawater from the underwater mountain ranges where lava erupts and new crust forms (mid ocean ridges). Chemicals dissolved in the vents help sustain a complex web of organisms (Geophysical Research Letters).
www.physorg.com March 3rd … according to NOAA the ongoing El Nino of 2009/2010 is affecting northern Pacific ecosystems by a stronger than normal stream of warm water up the California coastline. Low abundances of plankton and pelagic fish are one result of this shift in ocean currents and temperature.