Scientists Discover Thriving Ecosystem in Earth's Deepest Ocean Trenches
International team finds rich community in trenches deeper than 9km using China's Fendouzhe submersible
L'essentiel
An international research team, led by Professor Peng Xiaotong and supported by China's Fendouzhe submersible, has discovered a previously unknown, thriving ecosystem in ocean trenches deeper than 9km, challenging prior beliefs about survival in such extreme conditions.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Prior research suggested only limited life could exist in hadal zones due to extreme conditions.
Scientists have discovered a thriving and previously unknown ecosystem in the planet’s deepest ocean trenches, feeding on organic debris from above. At those depths the pressure is enough to crush a submarine, and combined with perpetual darkness and temperatures near freezing, it makes the deepest reaches of the oceans among the least explored places on Earth. Until now, researchers believed that only a few anemones, sponges or bacteria could survive under such conditions. But an international research team supported by China’s crewed submersible the Fendouzhe, or Striver, has uncovered an unexpectedly rich community living on rocks in trenches deeper than 9km (5.6 miles). The team – led by Professor Peng Xiaotong from the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences – reported their findings in the journal Science on May 14. “Between 2020 and 2024, we used the submersible Fendouzhe to investigate seven hadal trenches, fracture zones and basins in the Indo‑Pacific region, uncovering previously unknown faunas inhabiting extreme hadal depths,” Peng wrote in the paper.
À surveiller
Perspective IA — des possibilités, pas des certitudes
Further research expeditions to hadal zones
Probable · En quelques années
Questions ouvertes
- Full extent and diversity of the ecosystem
- Mechanisms enabling life in such conditions
