Some of the richest places in the ocean are mountains that never reach the surface. A guyot, or seamount, is an undersea mountain, and because each one hosts its own mix of life, seamounts are among the best places to discover new species.
A sonar image of a guyot, or seamount, in the Arctic. NOAA scientists map the ocean bottom with a multibeam echo sounder and turn the data into visualizations like this one. Credit: NOAA.
Volcanic mountains, alone or in chains
Seamounts are formed by volcanic activity and can be taller than 10,000 feet. Some stand alone; others belong to large mountain chains. The New England Seamount has more than 30 peaks, stretching 994 miles from the coast of New England.
Islands of life
Seamounts are often highly productive, because they offer habitat for many kinds of plants and animals. Over 200 species of sea creatures have been observed at a single guyot in the New England Seamount. Each seamount is home to different animals, including many found only in guyot habitats — which is why they are such good places to look for species no one has described. On the slopes of the Davidson Seamount, for instance, scientists found an unidentified cnidarian that looks like a Venus flytrap.
Why they matter to people
- Fisheries. Seamounts are home to many commercially important fish, which makes them valuable to the economy.
- Medicine. Any number of undiscovered species living on them could lead to new drugs or medical treatments.
Sources
Based on "What is a guyot?" from NOAA's National Ocean Service, a work of the United States government in the public domain.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from oceanservice.noaa.gov
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