Discovering the Twilight Zone

Heidi M. Sosik's twilight zone talk educates the audience about the vast depths of the ocean, the undiscovered possibilities and the mysterious species living there. The environment has been scarcely tapped due to its depth, darkness, immense pressure, frigid temperatures, massive reach and quick fluctuation. An ocean scientist, inventor and explorer, the speaker believes in the immense potential of technology in aiding her study.

The Twilight Zone talk identifies the area as being 200 to 1,000 meters below the surface and a habitat for microbes, plankton and fish with proficient adaptation skills for extreme environments. As this space is virtually unexplored, Heidi M. Sosik seeks to change that by launching a large-scale exploration with a team of researchers. During it, she plans to push the boundaries of technology and gain insight into the dynamics of undiscovered life, as well as explore the zone's link to climate change.

One piece of information Heidi M. Sosik shares during the Twilight Zone talk that is particularly important and potent with potential is linked to carbon. The animals that inhabit the dark abyss of the waters serve to "connect the surface and [the] deep ocean." Animals in the twilight zone have been observed to feed near the surface at night and retreat to the darkness during the day. As a result, they bring the carbon in their food into the depths of the ocean, moving it away from the atmosphere for thousands of years. If Heidi M. Sosik and her team can succeed in determining how much carbon is transported and which species actually partake in this exercise, their natural migration can serve to help limit the effects of global warming.