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Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
Featured Video
Explore the fascinating worlds of the deep sea's chemosynthetic wonderlands, where primary production is possible.
ABOUT
THE DEEP SEA IS A TRULY FASCINATING REALM. IT IS AN EXPANSE OF MYSTERY, BEAUTY AND WONDER, WHICH HAS CAPTIVATED US SO MUCH THAT WE DECIDED TO CREATE A HUB FOR ALL THINGS DEEP-SEA-RELATED.
EXPLORE THE UNIQUE LIFE THAT THRIVES HERE BY READING OUR FACT FILES, WATCHING OUR SHORT FILMS, OR BROWSING THE LATEST NEWS ARTICLES RELATING TO THE DEEP OCEAN. ENJOY!
ABOUT
MORE TOPICS
Coming Soon: The Life of Cold Seeps
The majority of communities in the deep sea ecosystem must rely on the leftovers of productivity in shallower waters - the marine snow, and sunken carrion. But at cold seeps, we find another kind of producer.
Coming Soon: Life in the Pelagic Zone
The open ocean is an entirely different world to the benthic zone of the sea floor. The endless blue stretches away in all directions, while the black abyss hangs gaping below. Currents are stronger here. There is no shelter to be found, and food is hard to come by. But all the same, a plethora of life has found ways to survive here, from the surface, all the way down into the abyss.
Coming Soon: Life in the Benthic Zone
Deep sea life must choose whether to live on the bottom, or to brave the expansive open ocean of the midwater zone. Creatures that adapt to life in the midwater zone are known as pelagic, while creatures that evolve to be well-suited to an existence on or near the sea floor, are known as benthic or demersal. These two groups could not be more different, but which is a more effective way of life?
Coming Soon: Life at Deep Sea Coral Reefs
Deep Sea Coral Reefs represent areas of astounding biodiversity. Lush cold water coral and sponge gardens thrive in the icy waters. An expanse of colourful coral structures blooming out of the sea floor, providing important habitats for deep-dwelling life. And yet, they are one of the most poorly understood of all deep sea ecosystems.
The Deep Sea Food Web
Amidst the productive frenzy of the shallow open ocean, animals excrete, and die, and moult, creating a trickle of organic material that begins to sink downwards. A nutrient-rich supply of food, known as marine snow. And so, we enter the isolated deep. With no sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur below 200 metres in the Twilight Zone.
Exploring the Zones of the Deep
Experience what it's like to delve down in a submersible into the deep sea. Scroll down to dive gradually deeper through the successive zones of the ocean, beginning in the Sunlight Zone (epipegalic) and ending in the Abyss (abyssopelagic), studying the unique organisms found along the way in the otherworldly ecosystems of the deep sea.
Symbiosis in the Deep Sea
Symbiosis in the deep sea allows creatures to survive the challenging environment. Symbiosis describes any kind of a close and long-term interaction between two different organisms. This phenomenon is found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet - allowing organisms to rely on others for food, shelter, or to act as a warning for nearby danger. But nowhere on Earth are creatures more uniquely adapted to relying on others than in the deep sea - a world of darkness, cold, and intense pressure. Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the incredible role of symbiosis in the deep sea ecosystem.
Bioluminescence Explained
Bioluminescence in the deep sea is a natural phenomenon present in many deep dwelling species. The twinkling, flashing, pulsating lights are the result of a chemical reaction that produces light energy within the body of an organism. It is a common feature - a single adaptation uniting vastly different creatures, from bacteria and algae to cephalopods and sharks.
A Brief History of Deep Sea Discovery
As a species, we are driven by a desire to understand and make sense of the universe around us. We have landed people on the moon and sent probes into deep space to uncover the secrets of the cosmos. Despite all this, we still have explored just 5% of Earth’s oceans. Read the article for a brief history of deep sea exploration, and learn what's new in this exciting frontier of discovery.
Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents
In the deep sea, no energy is produced by photosynthesis. Instead, chemosynthetic bacteria have adapted to convert the chemicals expelled by deep sea vents into the energy needed for life to flourish. They represent one of only few places on Earth where the energy needed for life is not provided by the sun, but by the Earth itself.
Deep Sea Gigantism
Creatures of the deep sea seem to follow a certain trend; many of them appear far larger than their relatives from the shallows, and exhibit a phenomenon known as Abyssal Gigantism. To understand this phenomenon, we first must understand why larger organisms are more efficient, and thus why deep sea creatures like the giant isopod tend to grow to these sizes.
Whale-Fall Ecosystems
Most nutrients in the deep sea are supplied by a steady stream of organic debris, known as marine snow. This is made up of dead plankton, animals, and excrement. Occasionally, something larger appears. A whale carcass will sink to the seabed, where it will support a complex biological community for up to 50 years. Deep sea creatures gather here to make the most of the concentrated store of nutrients, from giant sharks to tiny but fascinating bacteria.
Coming Soon: The Life of Cold Seeps
The majority of communities in the deep sea ecosystem must rely on the leftovers of productivity in shallower waters - the marine snow, and sunken carrion. But at cold seeps, we find another kind of producer.
Coming Soon: Life in the Pelagic Zone
The open ocean is an entirely different world to the benthic zone of the sea floor. The endless blue stretches away in all directions, while the black abyss hangs gaping below. Currents are stronger here. There is no shelter to be found, and food is hard to come by. But all the same, a plethora of life has found ways to survive here, from the surface, all the way down into the abyss.
Coming Soon: Life in the Benthic Zone
Deep sea life must choose whether to live on the bottom, or to brave the expansive open ocean of the midwater zone. Creatures that adapt to life in the midwater zone are known as pelagic, while creatures that evolve to be well-suited to an existence on or near the sea floor, are known as benthic or demersal. These two groups could not be more different, but which is a more effective way of life?
Coming Soon: Life at Deep Sea Coral Reefs
Deep Sea Coral Reefs represent areas of astounding biodiversity. Lush cold water coral and sponge gardens thrive in the icy waters. An expanse of colourful coral structures blooming out of the sea floor, providing important habitats for deep-dwelling life. And yet, they are one of the most poorly understood of all deep sea ecosystems.
The Deep Sea Food Web
Amidst the productive frenzy of the shallow open ocean, animals excrete, and die, and moult, creating a trickle of organic material that begins to sink downwards. A nutrient-rich supply of food, known as marine snow. And so, we enter the isolated deep. With no sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur below 200 metres in the Twilight Zone.
Exploring the Zones of the Deep
Experience what it's like to delve down in a submersible into the deep sea. Scroll down to dive gradually deeper through the successive zones of the ocean, beginning in the Sunlight Zone (epipegalic) and ending in the Abyss (abyssopelagic), studying the unique organisms found along the way in the otherworldly ecosystems of the deep sea.
Symbiosis in the Deep Sea
Symbiosis in the deep sea allows creatures to survive the challenging environment. Symbiosis describes any kind of a close and long-term interaction between two different organisms. This phenomenon is found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet - allowing organisms to rely on others for food, shelter, or to act as a warning for nearby danger. But nowhere on Earth are creatures more uniquely adapted to relying on others than in the deep sea - a world of darkness, cold, and intense pressure. Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the incredible role of symbiosis in the deep sea ecosystem.
Bioluminescence Explained
Bioluminescence in the deep sea is a natural phenomenon present in many deep dwelling species. The twinkling, flashing, pulsating lights are the result of a chemical reaction that produces light energy within the body of an organism. It is a common feature - a single adaptation uniting vastly different creatures, from bacteria and algae to cephalopods and sharks.
A Brief History of Deep Sea Discovery
As a species, we are driven by a desire to understand and make sense of the universe around us. We have landed people on the moon and sent probes into deep space to uncover the secrets of the cosmos. Despite all this, we still have explored just 5% of Earth’s oceans. Read the article for a brief history of deep sea exploration, and learn what's new in this exciting frontier of discovery.
Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents
In the deep sea, no energy is produced by photosynthesis. Instead, chemosynthetic bacteria have adapted to convert the chemicals expelled by deep sea vents into the energy needed for life to flourish. They represent one of only few places on Earth where the energy needed for life is not provided by the sun, but by the Earth itself.
Deep Sea Gigantism
Creatures of the deep sea seem to follow a certain trend; many of them appear far larger than their relatives from the shallows, and exhibit a phenomenon known as Abyssal Gigantism. To understand this phenomenon, we first must understand why larger organisms are more efficient, and thus why deep sea creatures like the giant isopod tend to grow to these sizes.
Whale-Fall Ecosystems
Most nutrients in the deep sea are supplied by a steady stream of organic debris, known as marine snow. This is made up of dead plankton, animals, and excrement. Occasionally, something larger appears. A whale carcass will sink to the seabed, where it will support a complex biological community for up to 50 years. Deep sea creatures gather here to make the most of the concentrated store of nutrients, from giant sharks to tiny but fascinating bacteria.
Coming Soon: The Life of Cold Seeps
The majority of communities in the deep sea ecosystem must rely on the leftovers of productivity in shallower waters - the marine snow, and sunken carrion. But at cold seeps, we find another kind of producer.
Coming Soon: Life in the Pelagic Zone
The open ocean is an entirely different world to the benthic zone of the sea floor. The endless blue stretches away in all directions, while the black abyss hangs gaping below. Currents are stronger here. There is no shelter to be found, and food is hard to come by. But all the same, a plethora of life has found ways to survive here, from the surface, all the way down into the abyss.
Coming Soon: Life in the Benthic Zone
Deep sea life must choose whether to live on the bottom, or to brave the expansive open ocean of the midwater zone. Creatures that adapt to life in the midwater zone are known as pelagic, while creatures that evolve to be well-suited to an existence on or near the sea floor, are known as benthic or demersal. These two groups could not be more different, but which is a more effective way of life?
Coming Soon: Life at Deep Sea Coral Reefs
Deep Sea Coral Reefs represent areas of astounding biodiversity. Lush cold water coral and sponge gardens thrive in the icy waters. An expanse of colourful coral structures blooming out of the sea floor, providing important habitats for deep-dwelling life. And yet, they are one of the most poorly understood of all deep sea ecosystems.
The Deep Sea Food Web
Amidst the productive frenzy of the shallow open ocean, animals excrete, and die, and moult, creating a trickle of organic material that begins to sink downwards. A nutrient-rich supply of food, known as marine snow. And so, we enter the isolated deep. With no sunlight, photosynthesis cannot occur below 200 metres in the Twilight Zone.
Exploring the Zones of the Deep
Experience what it's like to delve down in a submersible into the deep sea. Scroll down to dive gradually deeper through the successive zones of the ocean, beginning in the Sunlight Zone (epipegalic) and ending in the Abyss (abyssopelagic), studying the unique organisms found along the way in the otherworldly ecosystems of the deep sea.
Symbiosis in the Deep Sea
Symbiosis in the deep sea allows creatures to survive the challenging environment. Symbiosis describes any kind of a close and long-term interaction between two different organisms. This phenomenon is found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet - allowing organisms to rely on others for food, shelter, or to act as a warning for nearby danger. But nowhere on Earth are creatures more uniquely adapted to relying on others than in the deep sea - a world of darkness, cold, and intense pressure. Let’s dive in, and take a closer look at the incredible role of symbiosis in the deep sea ecosystem.
Bioluminescence Explained
Bioluminescence in the deep sea is a natural phenomenon present in many deep dwelling species. The twinkling, flashing, pulsating lights are the result of a chemical reaction that produces light energy within the body of an organism. It is a common feature - a single adaptation uniting vastly different creatures, from bacteria and algae to cephalopods and sharks.
A Brief History of Deep Sea Discovery
As a species, we are driven by a desire to understand and make sense of the universe around us. We have landed people on the moon and sent probes into deep space to uncover the secrets of the cosmos. Despite all this, we still have explored just 5% of Earth’s oceans. Read the article for a brief history of deep sea exploration, and learn what's new in this exciting frontier of discovery.
Deep Sea Hydrothermal Vents
In the deep sea, no energy is produced by photosynthesis. Instead, chemosynthetic bacteria have adapted to convert the chemicals expelled by deep sea vents into the energy needed for life to flourish. They represent one of only few places on Earth where the energy needed for life is not provided by the sun, but by the Earth itself.
Deep Sea Gigantism
Creatures of the deep sea seem to follow a certain trend; many of them appear far larger than their relatives from the shallows, and exhibit a phenomenon known as Abyssal Gigantism. To understand this phenomenon, we first must understand why larger organisms are more efficient, and thus why deep sea creatures like the giant isopod tend to grow to these sizes.
Whale-Fall Ecosystems
Most nutrients in the deep sea are supplied by a steady stream of organic debris, known as marine snow. This is made up of dead plankton, animals, and excrement. Occasionally, something larger appears. A whale carcass will sink to the seabed, where it will support a complex biological community for up to 50 years. Deep sea creatures gather here to make the most of the concentrated store of nutrients, from giant sharks to tiny but fascinating bacteria.
NEWS
Black smoker vents, Puy des Folles Seamount
Shot by Schmidt Ocean Institute's ROV SuBastian during the Lost City Vents mission.
FACT FILES
Deep Sea Rays & Skates
These cartilaginous fish are relatives of sharks, and they fulfil similar ecological niches, but in the sea floor ecosystem rather than the open ocean.
Echinoderms of the Deep
Starfish, sea cucumbers and urchins make up the echinoderms. Creatures that play key roles in supporting the ecology of the marine world.
Cetaceans of the Open Ocean
Whales and dolphins make up this diverse group of marine mammals, with variations in the body design ranging from beautiful to bizarre.
Cnidarians of the Deep
The phylum Cnidaria contains around 13,000 living species. Surprisingly simple, yet beautiful organisms, which come in a vast array of shapes and colours.
Cephalopods of the Deep
Out of all 8,000 living species of marine invertebrates in the oceans, by far the largest, most deadly and most intelligent are the cephalopods.
Crustaceans of the Deep
Of all the animal groups on Earth, the crustaceans are by far the most successful. They are so diverse that they are often called the insects of the oceans.
Sharks of the Deep
Sharks are highly-specialised predators, demonstrating an array of adaptations in order to survive the various habitats of the deep ocean.
Polychaete Worms
In the deep sea, there is one group of organisms that has become specialised in unexpected ways in order to survive. The bristly polychaete worms.
Sixgill Sharks
There is a giant that haunts the deep sea. Down in the bathypelagic zone, this predator lurks, circling the sunken corpse of a whale.
The Vampire Squid
With its deep red colour, icy blue eyes, and webbed tentacles that resemble a cape, the vampire squid is a unique deep sea cephalopod.
VIDEOS
Series: The Deep Sea Explained
The 'Deep Sea Explained' is an anthology of films about the broader topics concerning this mysterious and otherworldly ecosystem. The videos cover information relating to deep sea ecosystems, adaptations, exploration and the environment. Accompanying articles can be found by selecting 'read' below.
Deep Sea Explained
Deep sea creatures
WHALE-FALL ECOSYSTEMS
OVERVIEW
Most nutrients in the deep sea are supplied by a steady stream of organic debris, known as marine snow. This is made up of dead plankton, animals, and excrement.
Occasionally, something larger appears. A whale carcass will sink to the seabed, where it will support a complex biological community for up to 50 years. Deep sea creatures gather here to make the most of the concentrated store of nutrients, from giant sharks to tiny but fascinating bacteria.
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