An oceanographer has explained the reason for the formation of the “Milk Sea” (牛奶海) — an ocean area off the coast of Yilan County that has become a tourist hotspot because of its milk-colored water.
The Milk Sea near Turtle Island (Gueishan Island, 龜山島) is caused by the combination of seawater and a saltwater hot spring, Lin Yu-shih (林玉詩), an associate professor at National Sun Yat-sen University’s Department of Oceanography, said in an article posted on Facebook by the Oceanographic Society on Tuesday last week.
Researchers found that the Milk Sea contains particular bacteria that efficiently facilitate carbon fixation, a process in which the sulfur from hot spring water reacts with oxygen, forming a special hydrothermal ecosystem, Lin said.
Photo: Chang Yi-chen, Taipei Times
Compared with seawater’s pH of 8, the Milk Sea only has a pH of 6, slightly more than buttermilk, she said, adding that hot spring water in the region can even have a pH as low as 1.5.
“Soaking in the [Milk Sea] for a prolonged period could have an effect similar to a chemical peel,” she added.
Although “sourer,” the Milk Sea has coral, because hot spring water is mixed with seawater as it gradually rises, she said, adding that water below the white-colored surface is actually no different from regular seawater.
The Milk Sea has complex waves and currents that befuddle even fishermen, and an instantaneous flow rate of up to 70cm, so after some time in the water, it is possible for people to inadvertently drift to the Japanese island of Ishigaki, she said.
Tidal vortexes in the area mean the milk-colored water circulates only within a certain range, occasionally creating some beautiful patterns, she said.
In 2000, a research team found a 2m hydrothermal vent on the seafloor of the area that discharged an extremely large quantity of geothermal water, but the vent has since been buried by falling rocks, she said.
Rock falls, landslides, as well as changing tides, currents and hydrothermal vents are factors contributing to the changing boundaries of the Milk Sea as observed every year, she said.
As Turtle Island is an active volcano, people need not worry that the Milk Sea will disappear if more hydrothermal vents in the area are buried by falling rocks, because new vents are being created by the continuous magmatic activity there, she said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
RSS