A submersible finds sea creatures thriving in the deepest parts of the ocean

NEW YORK (AP) — An underwater voyage has revealed a network of creatures thriving at the bottom of deep-sea ocean trenches.

In these extreme environments, the crushing pressure, scant food and lack of sunlight can make it hard to survive. Scientists know that tiny microbes prosper there, but less is known about evidence of larger marine life.

Researchers traveling along the Kuril–Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches in the northwest Pacific Ocean used a submersible to find tubeworms and mollusks flourishing at over 31,000 feet (9.5 kilometers) deep. The deepest part of the ocean goes down to about 36,000 feet (11 kilometers).

Scientists had surveyed this area before and had hints that larger creatures might live at such depths. The new discovery confirms those suspicions and shows just how extensive the communities are, said Julie Huber, a deep sea microbiologist with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

https://apnews.com/article/deep-sea-trench-tubeworm-mollusk-420f54c29b7c8d132b02f22ca6679c4f