Black Smokers and Giant Tube Worms
A deep-sea submersible approaches a
cluster of hydrothermal vents and their associated "black smokers",
plumes of hot, mineral-rich water from below. Taking advantage of this
small environment are giant tube worms, creepy organisms up to three
meters long which extract sulfur compounds and metabolize them in ways
unknown to creatures who dwell in the light. This is a digital image I
made for fun.
Image
copyright by Joe Bergeron.