Scientists from the University of Miami have discovered a brine pool that can immediately kill or stun anything that swims into it. The pool was discovered at the bottom of the Red Sea at a depth of 1,770m.

What is a brine pool?

A brine pool is a depression in the seafloor that is filled with highly concentrated salt water and other chemical elements which is roughly three to eight times saltier than the surrounding ocean.

These underwater death traps form in the deep ocean and can stun or kill animals and even pickle them alive. As per a Dailystar UK report, researchers once found intact soft tissue of a crab that had been dead for eight years, inside a brine pool.

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The recent discovery

The team discovered the pool at a depth of 1,770 metres using a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). The discovery was made in the last five minutes of a 10-hour dive at the bottom of the Red Sea.

Professor Sam Purkis, who was part of the team at the University of Miami, explained that the brine pool has no oxygen and lethal saline levels which means any fish or living creature that swims inside is instantly stunned or killed. The pool also contains poisonous chemicals such as hydrogen sulphide, he told Live Science.

While an underwater pool with a 100 percent kill rate might sound horrific, these pools are actually good news for predators who can keep the food chain going.

Professor Purkis said the discovery of such pools could help scientists work out how the oceans first formed on our planet.

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He explains that brine pools are home to a large number of microbes and are rich in biodiversity. These microbes can survive in such harsh environments and studying them can help scientists understand the limits of life on Earth. He also emphasises that these discoveries are essential as they can help determine if alien planets with similar hostile conditions can host any living beings.

(Edited by : Priyanka Deshpande)