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<b> <br>
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PRESS RELEASE<br>
<br>
</b>FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:<br>
July 21,
2015
Teresa Izzo<br>
<div align="right"> 508-896-3867 ext. 137<br>
tizzo@ccmnh.org<br>
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<div align="center"><b> <br>
The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History presents<br>
Dr. Stefan Sievert of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution<br>
<i>Oases in the Deep – The Fascinating World of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal
Vents<br>
.<br>
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<br>
</i></b>BREWSTER, MA The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster
presents Dr. Stefan Sievert Associate Scientist in the Biology Department
at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution <b>Thursday,</b> <b>August 20,
2015 at 1pm.<br>
<br>
</b>The deep-sea is the largest contiguous biome on Earth and is home to
a large number of highly diversified organisms, yet is still only poorly
explored. The majority of the organisms in the deep-sea are dependent on
food that is produced through photosynthesis in the sunlit surface ocean,
and thus is directly dependent on solar energy. This leads to a shortage
of food in the deep-ocean, as only a small percentage of the material
produced in the surface ocean sinks to the abyss. However, hot springs
found in tectonically active regions of the deep-ocean represent a
spectacular exception to this general trend. In total darkness, these hot
springs or deep-sea hydrothermal vents, as they are more commonly known,
support unique and fascinating ecosystems that are characterized by high
productivity - oases in an otherwise barren landscape. At deep-sea vents,
microorganisms survive on inorganic chemicals that bubble up from beneath
the ocean floor. Using a process called chemosynthesis, the microbes
convert those chemicals into energy to make a living. Those microbes form
the base of the food chain at deep-sea vents, just like algae do in the
surface ocean or plants do on land. <br>
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These microbes are the subjects of Dr. Sievert’s investigations and he
will take the audience on a journey to give us a glimpse into a strange
world at the bottom of the ocean. Dr. Sievert has been on a number of
research cruises to deep-sea hydrothermal vents, including several
cruises on R/V Atlantis as chief scientist. <br><br>
The presentation will be held at the Museum Thursday, August 20th at
1pm.<br><br>
Free with Museum Admission ~ For information please call: 508-896-3867,
ext. 133<br>
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Teresa Izzo<br>
Program Coordinator<br>
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History<br>
869 Main St./Rte. 6A<br>
Brewster, MA 02631<br>
508-896-3867 x137<br>
508-896-8844 - fax</body>
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