Scientists flock to mysterious 'blue hole' off Florida's Gulf Coast
Source: ABC News
Scientists are flocking to Florida’s Gulf Coast for a glimpse of a mysterious 425-feet-deep "blue hole" on the ocean floor.
The glowing mystery hole, about 155 feet below the water’s surface, is similar to the sinkholes seen on solid land, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Surprisingly, the first reports of blue holes came from fishermen and recreational divers, not scientists or researchers. In general, the holes appear to host diverse biological communities full of marine life, including corals, sponges, mollusks, sea turtles and sharks.
NOAA scientists plan to embark on a new mission to a second, deeper area of the hole in August. That mission will consist of a team of scientists from Mote Marine Laboratory, Florida Atlantic University, Georgia Institute of Technology and the U.S. Geological Society, according to NOAA.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/scientists-investigate-blue-oceanic-mystery-off-florida-coast/story?id=71919756&cid=clicksource_4380645_7_heads_posts_card_hed
It's possible the holes are somehow tied into Florida's groundwater. Some of what is being studied is the possibility that these holes are secreting nutrients, or if they harbor a unique microenvironment or possibly new species of microbes.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Well played!
"just to make sure".
Aliens 2 reference, just in case. 
Index:
Spring-Fall 2019: Amberjack Hole explorations
May 8, 2019: Preparing for our deep dive into Florida's blue holes
See: https://mote.org/research/program/ocean-acidification/deep-thoughts-blog
These blog entries explain some of their research goals and part of the specialized equipment they use.
Didn't see anything logged for this year yet so I assume the next efforts will be this coming August.
KY
Looks like they're building a brand-new facility nearby that should be something to see:
Mote SEA will be an iconic, 110,000-square-foot hub of marine science education and outreach located at Nathan Benderson Park, a nexus site for Sarasota and Manatee counties and the southwest Florida region. It will feature more than 1 million gallons of exhibits with marine life and scientific displays from around the world and is projected to double the attendance of the current Mote Aquarium. Its projected economic impacts include $280 million from construction alone and $28 million per year from operations. Mote SEA will have interactive state-of-the-art STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teaching labs and will offer educational programming to approximately 70,000 students from Sarasota and Manatee county schools free of charge. The rebirth of Mote Aquarium on mainland Sarasota County will lead to the next step in the evolution of Mote’s City Island research campus into an enhanced International Marine Science, Technology & Innovation Park. This will provide Mote researchers, science and technology entrepreneurs and their international partners much-needed facilities for expanded intensive research and allow Mote’s best and brightest to excel in addressing the significant threats facing Earth’s oceans.
Artist's concept graphic...
From: https://mote.org/
KY..........
There was construction going on there when we visited, but I'm sure it had nothing to do with this. You can bet I'll visit the next time I'm down that way, only this time it will be with my grandchildren. Like George Costanza, I have an inner "marine biologist" hidden deep inside me. Shine on, KY_EnviroGuy!
