User:Ldd52/Blue hole

Additions to Description Section:

The overall largest blue hole (taking into account depth and width) is located 100 kilometers from the coast of Belize. The Great Blue Hole is a massive 300 meters wide and 175 meters deep.

Additions to Life Forms section:

Important types of bacterial colonies have also been found in blue holes. Due to the conditions of a blue hole, they are forced to live off of sulfur compounds like hydrogen sulfide, which are toxic to most organisms. These special bacteria have produced many insights into the chemistry and biology of microbial life.

Expeditions[edit source]
Exploring blue holes requires an extreme level of expertise in the diving field, hence why very few divers have ever attempted it. In 2009 however, a team of scientists set out to study seven of these blue holes in the Bahamas. Through over 150 dives, these scientists lead by Keith Tinker investigated bacteria able to live in anoxic environments. This would allow them to make connections to fields such as astrobiology where organisms thrive without oxygen or sunlight.

In 2018, another group of scientists set out to explore The Great Blue Hole of Belize using two submarines of the latest technology. One of the major scientific contributions made during this expedition was the first 3-dimensional map of its interior. They captured things such as stalactites, the hydrogen sulfide layer, and other details that cannot usually be seen by the naked human eye.

In addition to the various successful expeditions that have occurred, many explorers have perished in their attempts to reach the bottom of a blue hole. The Red Sea Blue Hole located in Egypt is nicknamed the "Diver's Cemetery" because at least 40 divers have died there.