Scuba divers discover ancient underwater forest in the Gulf of Mexico

Published: 13-Jul-13 11:50:34
Author: Anna
Source: The Inquisitr
Related: 10-Apr-10 23:11:09

A team of scuba divers from the Weeks Bay Foundation have discovered a new primeval underwater forest a few miles off the coast of Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. Known as The Bald Cypress forest, scientists believe that this hidden gem was buried under ocean sediments and has been protected by its oxygen-free environment for more than 50,000 years.

An ancient forest has been discovered underwater a few miles of the coast of Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. The forest, now called The Bald Cypress forest, was discovered by a team of scuba divers from the Weeks Bay Foundation.

Scientists believe that the forest was buried under ocean sediments and has been protected by its own oxygen-free environment for more than 50,000 years. It is likely to have been unearthed following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Though the team of scuba divers and scientists are excited by the new discovery, there will only be a few years to explore the underwater site before wood-borrowing marine creatures eat away at the trees.

Ben Raines, one of the scuba diving team members, said that the forest has become an underwater artificial reef and hundreds of species of fish and marine life have made their home in the roots of misplaced stumps over the centuries.

The stumps of the Cypress trees span an area of at least 1.3 square kilometres and the site sit approximately 60 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

"The longer this wood sits on the bottom of the ocean, the more marine organisms burrow into the wood, which can create hurdles when we are trying to get radiocarbon dates," explained Grant Harley, a scientist who studies tree rings. "It can really make the sample undatable, unusable."

By studying the tree's growth rings of the stumps, this could enable scientists to uncover secrets about the climate of the Gulf of Mexico 52,000 years ago.

"Swimming around amidst these stumps and logs, you just feel like you're in this fairy world," Raines explained to LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

The scuba divers from the non-profit Weeks Bay Foundation are now frantically trying to source funding and grants so they can continue to explore The Bald Cypress.

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