deep sea

A Chinese deep-ocean drilling vessel has returned to port carrying core samples collected from the South China Sea, which state media and scientists have described as scientifically precious. The specimens are expected to aid research into the seabed's geology and the region's resource potential, at a time when the South China Sea remains a focal point of both scientific work and territorial disputes involving China and its neighbours.

Scientists and commercial fishermen in the United States are calling on federal agencies to continue funding a deep-ocean observation system that monitors conditions far below the surface. The system provides data used for research and fishing operations, and supporters warn that cutting funding would leave a gap in understanding of deep-sea conditions and their effects on marine life and coastal economies.

Environmental experts are warning that plastic pollution in the deep ocean may be interfering with the bioluminescent organisms that live there. Pollution particles could block or mimic the light signals deep sea species rely on for feeding, mating and defence, potentially disrupting entire ecosystems in one of the planet's least explored environments.

A newly shared recording captured at daybreak in Ilulissat, Greenland, shows an iceberg splitting apart, with slabs of deep blue ice crashing into the sea and sending waves across the surrounding water. The footage, recorded by Richard Sidey, also picks up the deep creaks and rumbles as the ice fractures. Viewers are sharing it as a striking illustration of glacial calving in one of Greenland's most active icefjord regions.

Oceanographer Dawn Wright has given an interview with Yale School of the Environment about mapping the deep ocean, discussing efforts to chart the seabed and what remains unknown about the abyss. The conversation highlights the scale of unmapped ocean floor and why completing this work matters for science and policy.