Oceanography

Would the Ocean be any deeper if sponges didn't live in it?

posted by Donovan Young on Jun 01, 2000 12:18PM

Only if there were no coral reefs, because the symbiotic relationship between the phylomitosyiosistic plankton and the dyptholicaritricic bacteria inherent in the skeleton like structure of the reef itself creates a chemical reaction that causes microscopic bubbles to form beneath the seabed, a process that actually forces the entire ocean floor upward from a latitude of 32.5 to 35.43. Interestingly enough this is part of the reason that the Bermuda Triangle is so dangerous for boats - the bubbles sometimes escape causing the giant sponge of the species genus-alymaturicarcis to rise from the floor of the ocean (its natural breeding grounds) and attempt to mate with ocean vessels, which from the bottom look amazingly like the female sponge of the same species.

posted by Clint Phipps on Jun 01, 2000 03:27PM

I see, but isn't it true that alymaturicarcis only mates once every 22.5 years? That being the case, added to the fact that the gas trapped under the ocean floor is causing it to ascend by 2.93 meters would mean that the ocean floor, at "normal" level would remain at 35.43 -- removing it from the equasion for the purposes of the original question. Now, if you were to hypothetically remove the alymaturicarcis from the ocean all at once, and assuming the mass of each creature was 2.93 metric tons (coincidentially the same as the rise of the ocean floor), and that there are an estimated 800,000 giant-spongi living in the oceans, you would be removing 23,440,000 metric tons of mass from the water. So, let me rephrase my question; How much water does the giant sponge retain within his (or her) body mass of 2.93 metric tons, and if you were to remove 23,440,000 metric tons of living mass from the ocean, would the level of the ocean change significantly?

posted by Donovan Young on Jun 01, 2000 03:44PM

I clean my bottom with a sponge and it feels really tingly on my skin!!! Use soap and warm water for the fullest effect!

posted by StU aRt on Jun 05, 2000 12:19AM

If you removed stupid shit from the stupid shit section, would it still remain stupid shit? Additionally, would the world still remain full of stupid people?

posted by Cody Phipps on Nov 21, 2003 05:53PM

i think so...........

posted by duh! duh! on Nov 23, 2003 05:08PM