Disovering Deep-sea Brine Pools: A Conversation with Dr. Purkis

In this episode, we're delighted to welcome Dr. Purkis as he shares his research on deep-sea brine pools, unique environments that house extremophile microbes, and immaculately preserved sedimentary sequences. His team has located a complex of brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba, consisting of one major pool of 10,000 m2 and three smaller pools.Join us as Dr. Purkis takes us through their exploration process, which involves bathymetric and geophysical observations, sediment coring, and direct brine sampling. They discovered that the main pool conserves a sedimentary stratigraphy extending over at least 1200 years. This timeline captures turbidites, which are likely products of flash floods and local seismic activity, along with tsunamigenic terrestrial sediment.Termed the NEOM Brine Pools, these bodies of water broaden the known geographical distribution of Red Sea brine pools. They also present an exceptional environment for conserving the sedimentary markers of regional climatic and tectonic occurrences. Delve into the fascinating world of deep-sea brine pools and their significance in our understanding of historical climate and tectonic events.Keywords: Dr. Purkis, Deep-sea Brine Pools, Extremophile Microbes, Sedimentary Sequences, Gulf of Aqaba, Turbidites, Tsunamigenic Terrestrial Sediment, NEOM Brine Pools, Red Sea, Climatic Events, Tectonic Events.Purkis, S.J., Shernisky, H., Swart, P.K. et al. Discovery of the deep-sea NEOM Brine Pools in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Commun Earth Environ 3, 146 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00482-x