Bacterial mat at Blake Ridge Diapir

Although usually hidden, bacteria can be easily observed when found in large aggregations like this bacterial mat seen at the Blake Ridge diapir. Mats indicate areas of potentially high microbial activity. Scientists typically focus on these mats when attempting to better understand the microbial processes in a new environment. The two red dots near the center of the image are laser pointers from the sub used to measure the size of a targeted object. These two points are always 10 cm apart.

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