Tuesday, Jan. 03, 2012
Black Smokers
Hydrothermal vents are also called black smokers, and they spew forth a cocktail of chemicals from the earth's churning volcanic interior, including hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. For humans, hydrogen sulfide, with its telltale odor of rotten eggs, can be fatal if breathed in large quantities, but for the deep-sea community, it's life-sustaining.