What encounter when you combine a splat of poop , a style of puke and a peppering of decompose flesh to a shiny new musical composition of ground ? A thriving ecosystem , scientist hope anyway .
Back in November 2013,Nishinoshima , a volcanic island nearly 1,000 kilometers ( 620 land mile ) to the south of Tokyo , began erupting for the first time in 40 years , leaving the Ogasawara island chain with a little young addition . But the eruption was by no means momentaneous , and by Christmas Eve the young island , originally call Niijima , merged with Nishinoshima .
Unclear as to when activity may cease , the volcanocontinuesto spurt out lava today , mostly towards the east from the main vent-hole . While this is step by step extending the size of it of the island , it is also continually being trim down by erosion from the ocean . As it stands , it is roughly the size of 345 football game pitches , or 2.46 substantial klick ( 0.95 solid miles ) in size , according to the Japan Coast Guard .
Although the island is passably innocent right now , mostly consisting of bare volcanic stone , scientist are promising that in the not - too - distant future it will be adorned with plant , and possibly even fauna . And this is an exciting chance for scientist , who will get the rare opportunity to try out life on the island as it gradually springs into being and changes over time .
“ We life scientist are very much focusing on the new island because we ’ll be able to observe the starting full stop of evolutionary processes , ” Naoki Kachi , drawing card of Tokyo Metropolitan University ’s Ogasawara Research Committee , toldAFP . After the lava stops hang , Kachi says , various works coinage may make their means to the island by means of sea currents , winds and muck from skirt species that set about to take residence there . The latter , immix with an appetising commixture of regurgitated food and decaying shuttlecock , should start to create some fertile soil for the plants to grow .
“ I am most interested in the effects of birds on the plants ’ ecosystem – how their bodily waste material - turned - constitutive fertilizers enrich the vegetation and how their activities disturb it , ” Kachi toldAFP .
Although scientists are n’t certain when the lava will blockade flow , it is believe that Nishinoshima may follow in the footsteps of another lately emerged island , Surtsey , which popped up back in the ‘ 60 off the coast of Iceland . Now a UN Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) World Heritage internet site , this “ natural laboratory ” has allow researchers to follow the flora and animate being on this singular island as they have evolve .
harmonise to UNESCO ’s website , since its inception , “ scientist have detect the arrival of seeds carried by sea electric current , the appearance of molds , bacteria and kingdom Fungi , follow in 1965 by the first vascular plant . ” Now , there are 60 species of vascular plants , 24 fungi , 71 lichen , 89 raspberry and 335 invertebrate . Whether this overhasty windfall in diversity will also occur on Nishinoshima remains to be see , but it ’s an exciting expectation still .
