Stunning Video Explains How an Underwater Volcano Sustains Ocean Life

Life underwater behaves in mysterious ways, sometimes sinister, other times fragile. Lurking in the unfathomable depths of this world are creepy beasts that flit in and out of the gem-studded caverns. Spindly octopuses and squirmy fish hover around glassy-textured sponges to feed and mate. Cornucopia of glowing critters lit the blue-green waters like ornaments in a jewelry showroom. It’s not much different from watching the interstellar space in reverse. The watery underdark is eerily quiet.

But occasionally, this quietude is taken over by a consortium of melodies, from hisses to spits, from hums to crackles. And many times, the music arises from the stirrings that are triggered by the agitations occurring in Earth’s crust. These stirrings are usually a sign that a volcano trapped beneath the crust is about to erupt. National Geographic TV (@natgeotv) shared footage depicting the fascinating dance that unfolds when fire meets ice in this seductive water world.

“How underwater volcanoes bring life to the whole ocean,” the TV channel writes in the footage overlay title. The footage shows a black, smoky mound of ash-like substance crackling and rupturing open. The crackling vent unleashes little rock-sized pieces that readily disintegrate from the mound. Out of this popping and splitting, oozes scorching hot orange lava, accompanied by a foam of boiling bubbles. A few moments into the footage, the bubbles rush forth, prompting the liquid explosion of magma to unite and mingle with the cool waters of the ocean. “When 2,000-degree lava meets the sea,” the voiceover says.

With plumes of white-grey smoke billowing from the ashy sediment, the bubbles whizzing around it trigger a series of bursts and explosions that resemble zillions of firecrackers bursting on a festive evening. A shimmery halo illuminates the entire scene like a surreal lighting show. “Things get explosive,” the narrator describes. With pebble-sized pieces of rocks and dust swirling and whirling in the restless waters, more of the seafloor sediment starts to disintegrate, unfurling another storm of blistering bubbles and sweltering hot lava bleeding like the light of an incandescent lamp. “The heat from the lava raises the water temperature,” the footage says.

Describing how these underwater volcanic eruptions contribute to the nourishment of ocean life, the narrator said that when the crust disintegrates after the splitting open of tectonic plates, the molten magma liberated from the fissures releases a giant plume of minerals into the water. When spread into the dark waters, these minerals become the food supplies of the resident microbes.

The footage then brought in the example of “planktons,” which are the precursors to “much of the wildlife that we know in the sea.” These sunlight-eating planktons, also called “wanderers,” possess a superpower that enables them to convert chemicals into energy. This energy triggers an initiation process of life within the waters by feeding little-big animals, according to Oceana.

“Underwater volcanoes can support entire marine ecosystems, starting with the ocean's smallest organisms,” the TV channel wrote in the post caption. Meanwhile, the footage prompted the viewers to spin humorous and bizarre scenarios in their heads. Many likened the scene to things like a woman’s rage, Stranger Things, Godzilla, and Minecraft’s Cobblestone generator.

One said the bursting bubbles remind them of the time when their stomach grumbles after eating spicy food. “My stomach after I eat Tacobell,” commented @ddmmttt. “Wish I were a little bacteria to enjoy the relaxing qualities of the primordial soup spa,” wrote @maelissa__. While @satanslastchild joked that plankton is busy stealing burgers, @abeer0703 added, “Respect to the cameraman for risking his life for this clip.”

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