Deep Sea Log

Latest Deep-Sea & Ocean Research Articles

The latest discoveries from MBARI, NOAA, JAMSTEC, and other leading marine research institutions — deep-sea exploration, marine life, and ocean science.

Researcher deploying acoustic instruments in the Arctic Ocean. Photo: Norwegian Coast Guard
Ocean Exploration TechScripps

How do you measure temperature under Arctic ice? Sound carried the answer 2,500 km

There was no way to measure Arctic water temperature under the ice at scale. A Scripps team used acoustic thermometry across 2,600 km from Alaska to Svalbard. Signals propagated over 2,500 km, capturing seasonal temperature patterns beneath the ice.

Coral Sea deep-sea survey. Image: CSIRO / Ocean Census
Deep-Sea CreaturesOcean

Over 110 new species from the deep Coral Sea, with 200 or more expected

More than 110 new fish and invertebrate species have been confirmed from the Coral Sea Marine Park off northeast Australia. Discoveries include a new deepwater catshark and two ray species. Analysis of cryptic species may push the total past 200.

An anisakid worm circled in red inside a canned salmon fillet. Credit: Natalie Mastick / University of Washington
Ocean & ClimateScienceDaily

Opening 40-year-old canned salmon revealed ocean recovery — what parasites tell us about ecosystem health

A University of Washington team examined 178 cans of Alaskan salmon spanning 1979 to 2021. Anisakid parasites increased in chum and pink salmon, suggesting marine mammal populations have recovered. Canned goods became an unlikely time capsule for marine ecosystems.

Spanish polar research vessel Hespérides during the January 2026 Antarctic expedition
Ocean & ClimateMBARI

Where does Antarctica's melted ice go? MBARI's first-ever electromagnetic survey probes the seafloor's 'plumbing'

Melted Antarctic ice doesn't just flow into the sea. It also seeps beneath the seafloor. MBARI led the first CSEM electromagnetic survey in Antarctica to investigate groundwater and gas flow below the seabed in one of the Southern Hemisphere's fastest-warming regions.

Sponge (Haliclona sp) atop coral mound at 269m near Cabo Polonio canyon
Seafloor GeologySchmidt

180 football fields of coral reef lay hidden off Uruguay. Over 30 suspected new species, plus chemosynthetic tubeworms

Schmidt Ocean Institute's 100th expedition discovered a 1.3 km² coral reef complex at 300m depth off Uruguay. Cold-water coral mounds up to 40m tall, over 30 suspected new species, and a methane seep chemosynthetic ecosystem.

Phragmites-covered mound on Farmington Bay dry playa
Seafloor GeologyScience

A Freshwater Ocean Beneath the Salt — Massive Aquifer Discovered 4km Under Great Salt Lake

University of Utah researchers used airborne electromagnetic surveys to discover a massive freshwater system extending 3-4km beneath Great Salt Lake. It stretches farther into the lake interior than expected and could help suppress toxic dust from exposed lakebeds.

Ocean waters - sea level rise visualization
Ocean & ClimatePhys.org

Rising Faster Than the Global Average — Africa's Sea Level Rise Threatens 200 Million Lives

Since 1993, African sea levels have risen 11.26cm at 3.54mm/year — exceeding the global average. The 2023-24 El Niño caused a 27mm anomaly. 38 coastal nations and 200 million people are at risk.

Inauguration of GEOMAR's 1.4km seawater pipeline
Ocean Exploration TechGEOMAR

Ocean Direct to Lab — GEOMAR Opens 1.4km Seawater Pipeline, Overcomes WWII Munitions

GEOMAR completed a 1.4km pipeline connecting the Kiel Fjord directly to its labs. Delivering 20 cubic metres of Baltic seawater per hour for climate change experiments. WWII munitions removal added unexpected challenges.

AUV MONACA recovered from Antarctic waters
Ocean Exploration TechNIPR

Six Days Under Antarctic Ice — Japan's AUV MONACA Lost and Miraculously Recovered

Japan's AUV MONACA became trapped beneath Antarctic sea ice during navigation tests. After 6 days missing, an iridium beacon transmitted GPS coordinates, enabling recovery by icebreaker Shirase. The technology aims for Europa ocean exploration.

24 new amphipod species identified in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone
Deep-Sea CreaturesScience

A New Branch of Life — 24 New Amphipod Species and a New Superfamily Discovered in the Pacific Deep Sea

24 unknown amphipod species discovered in the Pacific's Clarion-Clipperton Zone, plus a new superfamily Mirabestioidea — a rare new branch on the tree of life. A critical finding as deep-sea mining debates continue.

R/V Falkor (too) following bow reconstruction for improved sonar mapping
Ocean Exploration TechSchmidt

Access to 98% of the Ocean Floor — Schmidt Ocean Institute Upgrades R/V Falkor (too) and Deploys Next-Gen AUV

Schmidt Ocean Institute redesigned R/V Falkor (too)'s bow for science and introduced 'The Childlike Empress,' a state-of-the-art AUV capable of diving to 6,000m for 72 hours. Achieved 2 million km² of seafloor mapping, equivalent to Greenland.

Alaska coastal ice - Aialik Glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park
Ocean & ClimateScience

The Ice Protecting Alaska Is Vanishing Faster Than Expected

University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers analyzed 27 years of data revealing Alaska coastal landfast ice is disappearing rapidly. Ice season shortened by 57 days in the Chukchi Sea.

アルゼンチン深海のバセリア・カンディダ・サンゴ礁でテヅルモヅルがサンゴ上に棲む様子
Seafloor GeologySchmidt

Vatican-Sized Coral Reef and Ghost Jellyfish — Schmidt Ocean Institute Reveals Argentina's Deep-Sea Biodiversity

Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor expedition discovered a Vatican City-sized coral reef, a whale fall at 3,890m depth, giant ghost jellyfish, and a 1km² cold seep off Argentina. 28 potential new species identified.

CDRmare Workshop Report cover — Environmental monitoring of marine CO2 removal
Ocean & ClimateGEOMAR

Before Making the Ocean Absorb CO₂ — Six Challenges Facing Environmental Monitoring of Marine Carbon Removal

41 experts from 6 countries discussed marine CO₂ removal (mCDR) field trial monitoring challenges at GEOMAR. Key issues include lack of unified guidelines, missing baseline data, and difficulty distinguishing effects from background variability.

Amblyosyllis madeirensis（マデイラ島で記載された海洋環形動物）
Deep-Sea CreaturesScience

Ocean Life Vanishing Before Discovery — The EuroWorm Project's Fight Against Silent Extinction

Marine species are going extinct before scientists can discover them. The EuroWorm project in Germany is building a comprehensive genome database of European marine annelids (polychaete worms) to combat this 'silent extinction.'

2015年ヨーロッパ熱波時の地表温度のNASA衛星画像
Ocean & ClimateGEOMAR

Higher Ocean Resolution Revealed Heat Waves — How the North Atlantic Drives European Scorching Summers

GEOMAR and Max Planck Institute analyzed 100 years of climate simulations to show that North Atlantic sea surface temperature drops trigger European heat waves, and high-resolution ocean models are essential for accurate reproduction.

SWOT satellite — Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission for tsunami observation
Ocean Exploration TechScripps

Reading Tsunami Fingerprints from Space — SWOT Satellite Reveals Fault Slip Near the Trench from Kamchatka M8.8 Earthquake

The SWOT satellite observed the 2025 Kamchatka M8.8 earthquake tsunami from space, mapping fault slip distribution within 10km of the trench. A revolution transforming tsunami observation from 'points and lines' to 'surfaces.'

Culture of Nitrosopumilus maritimus
Ocean & ClimateScience

The Deep Ocean's Unlikely Adapters — Archaea Making Up 30% of Marine Plankton May Reshape Nutrient Cycles Under Warming

As ocean warming reaches depths below 1,000m, the archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus — comprising about 30% of marine microbial plankton — has been found to function more efficiently in warmer waters, potentially reshaping ocean nutrient cycles.

しんかい6500のマニピュレータが新種のゴカイが共生するガラス海綿を採取する様子
Deep-Sea CreaturesJAMSTEC（海洋研究開発機構）

38 New Species Discovered at Once — JAMSTEC and Ocean Census Unveil Deep-Sea Biodiversity at Nankai Trough and Shichiyou Seamounts

JAMSTEC and Ocean Census discovered 38 new species and 28 candidate species during joint deep-sea surveys at the Nankai Trough and Shichiyou Seamounts using Shinkai 6500, collecting over 528 specimen lots.

ダース・ベイダー超巨大等脚類 Bathynomus vaderi。頭部がダース・ベイダーのヘルメットに似ている。
Deep-Sea CreaturesOcean

From Darth Vader to Elvish — Top 10 Marine Species Discovered in 2025

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) presents the top 10 new marine species of 2025. Features a Darth Vader-like giant isopod, a deep-sea tunicate named in Tolkien's Elvish, and a bioluminescent sea slug from a Japanese deep-sea cave.

水深800〜6,000m以上で観察された深海魚。深くなるほどウナギのような細長い体型になっていく。
Deep-Sea CreaturesNOAA

The Deeper the Fish, the More Eel-Like They Become — How Depth Shapes Deep-Sea Fish Body Form and Survival

Analysis of footage from 250–6,000m+ depth around Puerto Rico reveals the relationship between depth and fish body shape. Deeper fish become more elongated and eel-like, with ambush predators increasing on the seafloor.

深海底に佇む半透明の「キャスパー」オクトパス。
Deep-Sea CreaturesNOAA

Casper the Deep-Sea Ghost — A Decade Since the Translucent Octopus Captivated the World

In 2016, a NOAA research vessel discovered a translucent octopus at 4,290m depth nicknamed 'Casper.' Setting the deepest record for incirrate octopods, this mysterious creature remains unnamed even after 10 years.

研究船RVデイヴィッド・パッカード号からMiniROVを展開する様子の空撮。
Ocean Exploration TechMBARI

Small but Mighty — MiniROV Proves Its Worth in Deep-Sea Coral Surveys at Sur Ridge

MBARI's portable ROV 'MiniROV' tackled challenging currents at 1,230m depth on Sur Ridge for deep-seafloor mapping. The 2017-discovered 25m rock structure 'Big Dinosaur Rock' was surveyed with impressive results.

深海底の小さな岩に多種多様な無脊椎動物が密集している様子。
Seafloor GeologyMBARI

Towering Corals and Tiny Worms — MBARI's Quest to Map Deep-Seafloor Invertebrates

MBARI's Deep Sea 3D expedition team used cutting-edge portable mapping systems to create high-resolution 3D maps of deep-sea coral and sponge communities. Rock samples revealed polychaetes, crabs, and small crustaceans.

新種の深海クラウンジェリー Atolla reynoldsi。深紅色のベル（傘）にトゲ状の突起が王冠のように並ぶ。
Deep-Sea CreaturesMBARI

New Crown Jelly Species Discovered in Monterey Bay's Deep Sea — Named After the Aquarium's First Volunteer

MBARI researchers discovered a new crown jelly species, Atolla reynoldsi, at 1,000–3,189m depth in Monterey Bay. Unlike other Atolla, it lacks the trailing tentacle — a mystery that puzzled scientists for 15 years.

ROV ドク・リケッツが水深3,268mで撮影したバンピー・スネイルフィッシュ（Careproctus colliculi）
Deep-Sea CreaturesMBARI

Pink New Species Found at 3,268m Depth — MBARI Reveals Three Unknown Snailfish

MBARI's ROV 'Doc Ricketts' filmed a pink fish at 3,268m in Monterey Canyon — a species unknown to science. CT scans and DNA analysis confirmed three new snailfish species.