by Divya Singh
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We wanted our many questions to be answered, so we decided to start with the marine department itself. We reached Dr. Parker, who as usual was busy with his computer and data. This time, he looked up.
Dr. Parker: “So how did it go miss?” Curiosity was visible in his eyes this time. It simply meant not very many people went out for such probe from the ship.
I asked: “What has happened to all the marine life forms in all these centuries? All I saw was kelp and jellyfish all over, just a tiny coral reef and a big unidentifiable beast in the water. There was no land either.”
Dr. Parker: “A beast? Please explain. We have got no record of any beast.”
Devon took the chance: “Yes doctor! Its teeth, jaws and snout resembled that of a shark. I must have weighed not less than an adult male great white shark. But it had different green hued eyes. It had an outer retracting covering which had a long canine tooth on each side of each jaw. But it had a lesser bony frame than the shark. It had numerous fins and slender body and moved like a water snake.”
“We have never been reported of such a description ever! It seems like you have met some creature crossbred or hybrid.” A skinny young doctor entered the room from the tank end. He wore spectacles. He came over to us taking long and quick strides and said-
Young doctor: “I am Doctor Amit Jain, a marine biologist, and an assistant to Dr. Allen.”
Dr. Parker: “Dr. Amit is a young and brilliant head on our team. He is our department’s most renowned doctor. Why don’t you guys ask things of him?”
Dr. Amit: “The description of this new marine species is unprecedented to me. I am surprised that such an enormous creature existed and we did not know about it. It is not obviously a shark. There was not much time for the evolution of this enormous extent. It could be some new species. But how could it have hidden itself from the eyes of the humans; that too for such a long time? Its size couldn’t hide it; after an ocean acidification of such a high level, it wass nearly impossible for the vertebrates to exist and continue sustenance. Unless until they accumulate bicarbonate to counteract acidification from harming their bones and shells. From my point of view, it is a cross bred species; an unusual mix of a large ocean snake and a shark. It must most probably have been a result of some bizarre cloning experiment. It must be a case study for research. But, honestly, there is no scientific explanation for its existence.”
I asked: “So what is the scientific explanation behind the absence of marine life forms and overgrown colonies of jellies and kelp jungles?”
Dr. Amit: “Global warming was the fundamental reason behind the ocean acidification. Greenhouse gases like CO2 when excessively abundant in the atmosphere, get automatically dissolved in the ocean water causing ocean acidification to dangerous levels. When carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are termed "ocean acidification" or "OA" for short. Calcium carbonate minerals are the building blocks for the skeletons and shells of many marine organisms. In areas where most life congregated in the ocean, the seawater used to be supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate minerals. This means there were abundant building blocks for calcifying organisms to build their skeletons and shells. However, continued ocean acidification caused many parts of the ocean to become undersaturated with these minerals, which affected the ability of some organisms to produce and maintain their shells. This had happened for centuries and thereby all the organisms with a protective shell and skeletons were extinct with time. The acidic environment had a dramatic effect on some calcifying species, including oysters, clams, sea urchins, shallow water corals, deep sea corals, and calcareous plankton. When shelled organisms were at risk, so was the entire food web. Interdependent ecosystems killed each factor of the system. Thus, coral reefs were lost with time, killing all the elements of the ecosystems.”
I intervened: “We found a tiny coral reef and also collected a sample thereof.” I handed over the container to Dr. Amit.
Dr. Amit: “It is a wonder! Generally, corals are expected to be extinct. Our team will borrow this sample to study what changes have these organisms inculcated to bring about such a resistance towards a strong acidification.”
Devon: “So what is the story of kelp jungles, overgrown seagrasses, and blue-green algae? Also, how did jellyfish survive this?”
Dr. Amit: “Photosynthetic algae and seagrasses benefitted from higher CO2 conditions in the ocean, as they require CO2 to live just like plants on land. So they thrive overly nowadays. As far as the jellyfish are concerned they flourish in the CO2 rich environments. I hope you get your answers now.”
I handed over all the samples to Dr. Amit to be put to the tests and derive whatever they could from them. Dr. Amit looked at the jellyfish and said-
Dr. Amit: “Where did you get this? It is a mutated Aequorea victoria and is a medusa. Look at the green luminescence it produces. The blue light produced is in turn transduced to green by the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP). It is usually about 3 inches at maximum but they are evolving and it has reached about 5 inches. It is my favorite! Thanks for bringing it to me!”
“Thanks, doctors!” Devon and I said in rhythmic duet. We then headed off to our rooms took a bath in fresh water, had our meals and went off to a rejuvenating sleep.
Chapter 24: Tour to the penultimate floor: The Quarantined floor
