However, mining them is a technically complex and correspondingly expensive undertaking. As such, there have only been pilot projects; there is no commercial mining network. But many countries and private companies have already applied for exploration licenses with the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority. Above all, rising water temperatures are provoking rapid responses in the deep-sea ecosystem. This can already be seen in Fram Strait between Svalbard and Greenland, where the composition of the phytoplankton has changed. Whereas, in past decades, more diatoms grew in the colder water, today you’ll find more foam algae.
This means the “deep” is the part of our ocean that is dark, cold, food-poor, subject to intense pressure, and typically deeper than 200 meters. One of the most fascinating aspects of the deep sea is its role in regulating the Earth’s climate. The deep ocean is a massive carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and helping mitigate the effects of climate change. Additionally, the deep-sea currents transport nutrients to surface waters, supporting life in other parts of the ocean.
The literal translation of the Latin species name is ‘vampire squid from Hell’, a name inspired by its velvety jet-black to pale reddish cloak-like webbing and red eyes. The Ocean Census accelerated discovery in 2025 through global expeditions, empowering scientists, funding taxonomy, whilst engaging thousands worldwide. For more detailed information, you can access the full article on the International Hydrographic Review website. This article was originally published in March 2023 and has been edited for additional clarity and more information. Remarkably, recent research has found that these deepsea creatures even camouflage their teeth, making them transparent — and they do this by using nanocrystals. They are superficially similar to other eel species but have many internal differences.
For centuries, scientists assumed that the chilly deep sea was empty of life. Now we know that the deep sea (generally meaning 200 to 10,000 meters, or 650 to 32,800 feet deep) is the largest habitable place on the planet. As companies ramp up their search for minerals underwater, scientists are intensifying their efforts to document the ocean’s deepest dwellers — and investigate the impact mining operations could have on their habitats. The most important food source for deep-sea organisms is particulate organic matter, which drifts down from the surface to the seafloor and is also known as “marine snow”. From individual cells of dead plankton to clumps of algae, to whole whale cadavers – which do not count as marine snow but are instead referred to as “large foodfalls” – there are meals of all shapes and sizes. Even zooplankton excrement contains enough nutrients for other organisms to get by on.
Ocean News
It extends from 19,700 feet (6,000 meters) to the very bottom of the Mariana Trench at 36,070 feet (10,994 meters). In 2018, scientists officially described a snailfish (Pseudoliparis swirei) at 27,000 feet below sea level, the deepest living fish ever found. The snailfish lacks scales, has large teeth, and does not bioluminesce, a departure from what many people envision in a deep-sea fish.
It relies on a partnership with bacteria, which produce the glow through a symbiosis scientists still don’t fully understand. Here are just a few of the remarkable creatures that haunt the ocean’s depths. According to Carranza, the data collected from the expedition will guide how Uruguay’s marine resources are managed. Currently, there is only one confirmed vulnerable marine ecosystem in Uruguay, but this 29-day expedition found evidence that more vulnerable areas exist. Sunlight cannot reach the deep ocean, except parts of the mesopelagic zone. Because many of these “underwater islands” are located in remote surroundings, studies are continually finding previously unknown and endemic species.
- Images taken with a camera system towed by the research icebreaker Polarstern captured countless nests of the ice fish species Neopagetopsis ionah on the seafloor, at depths from 420 to 535 metres.
- But many countries and private companies have already applied for exploration licenses with the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority.
- It has absorbed more than 90% of the excess heat generated by burning fossil fuels, and about 30% of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s.
- But we’re now able to explore more and more parts of this remote realm—thanks to a new generation of incredible underwater vehicles.
- The ionic metals and sulfides in the hot, mineral-rich water precipitate upon contact with cold seawater.34 The stock area of the chimney structures of hydrothermal vents can be highly mineralized.
- It also requires that at least one country supervises the company to ensure they comply with the law.
Deep-Sea Life and Habitats
Our specimen is the closely related Psychrolutes macrocephalus (Gilchrist, 1904) collected from depths of 1,600–1,700m in the Arabian Sea, in 2003. Our two specimens were collected from the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean at depths between 1,060 and 1,200m, in 1993. However, the vampire squid does not really live up to its name since actually feeds on detritus, and does not suck blood!
Eavesdropping on grunting groupers reveals how the fish communicate
Instead, it has evolved two sockets on either side of its brain where the bottom teeth slide in when its jaws shut. Scientists continue Deep Sea to make discoveries about both extreme environments, but so far, only one has been found to support animal life—and those creatures will haunt your dreams. Humans have explored less than 2% of the ocean floor, and dozens of new species of deep-sea creatures are discovered with every dive. Deep-sea Hatchetfish should not be confused with freshwater hatchet fishes, which are not related to them. They just share the name and that’s pretty much it — we’re interested in the deep sea creature. Unlike many of the creatures here, the fish commonly called “stargazer” also live in more shallow areas.
Economic perspective
Covering more than half of the planet’s surface, this hidden world is teeming with unique and bizarre life forms—from glowing jellyfish to fish that can withstand crushing pressure. Each species plays a role in the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, highlighting the importance of protecting this incredible part of our world. There is widespread concern in the scientific community that a proposed new extractive industry — deep seabed mining (DSM) — would have an irreversible impact on delicately balanced deep ocean ecosystems. In April 2025, President Trump announced a stunning shift in the so-called “gold rush” to mine the deep sea.
But the ocean floor consists of more than just the flat and seemingly vacant abyssal plain. Pockets of life thrive when food is available, and often these distinct deep sea communities rely on alternate sources of chemical energy that do not originate from the sun—they have figured a way to make do with what they get. The Abyssopelagic extends from 13,100 to 19,700 feet (4,000-6,000 m) down to the seafloor or abyssal plain. Animals that can withstand the pressures in this depth, which can reach up to 600 times what is experienced at sea level are highly specialized.
- When dense, nutrient rich ocean currents hit the seamount they deflect up toward the surface, allowing marine life to thrive on the newly supplied food.
- By protecting this fragile ecosystem, we’re preserving the life it holds, the climate it regulates, and the mysteries it continues to reveal.
- These tiny particles can even be found in the snow cover on Arctic ice floes.
- The goblin shark is a very rare and poorly understood animal — arguably the least understood shark species.
- The geography of a canyon also creates currents of moving water that suspend the amassed nutrition into the water column, often even reaching up into shallower, sunlit depths where photosynthetic algae grow.
Given the depths at which they live (50-1,500 meters), their tiny bodies have adapted to the pressure. Some animals can thrive by feeding on marine snow.2 In 1960, a bathyscaphe called Trieste went down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest point on Earth. There aren’t any plants at all in these depths, so all fish in the deep are carnivores.
Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, towers spew scalding water from within the earth’s crust. Whale falls occur when a whale dies in surface waters and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Trees, sharks, and large fish can also fall to the seafloor and provide food. The sudden arrival of food prompts creatures from afar to congregate and feast on the fleshy carcass. Once the flesh has been stripped and consumed by predators, bone eaters arrive so that not even the skeleton will remain. In the months and years after a whale fall the site will become the home and food source for millions of creatures.
However, market volatility and advances in recycling could alter the feasibility of these operations. Sharks and rays are neutrally buoyant because they have large oily livers (that float) and soft watery flesh (that sink). Some bony fishes have swim bladders. These are gas cavities that constantly have gas pumped in or out as the fish moves up and down in the water column.