In September of 2017, marine biologists were conducting an experiment in Bocas del Toro, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. After sitting on a quiet, warm open ocean, they snorkeled down to find a peculiar layer of murky, foul-smelling water about 10 feet below the surface, with brittle stars and sea urchins, which are usually in hiding, perching on the tops of coral. This observation prompted a collaborative study analyzing what this foggy water layer is caused by, and the impact it has on life at the bottom of the seafloor.
