International researchers have uncovered extensive deep-sea ecosystems reliant on chemosynthesis across the Pacific Ocean, with discoveries reaching record depths of 9,533 meters in Pacific trenches, according to studies published in Nature Communications and Nature.
Scientists from China's Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, using the submersible Fendouzhe, recorded tubeworm and clam communities spanning roughly 2,500 kilometers across the Kuril–Kamchatka and western Aleutian trenches.
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These animal colonies survive without sunlight by hosting symbiotic bacteria that process chemical energy from methane and hydrogen sulfide seeping through seafloor faults.
Unique Cave Ecosystems
Separately, researchers led by the Schmidt Ocean Institute identified deep underwater cave networks near volcanic ridges in the Eastern Pacific hosting giant tube worms reaching up to 20 inches in length.
"It's fascinating to see how animals adapt to such extreme conditions," said Sabine Gollner, co-lead of the expedition.
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These isolated ocean floor caves maintain a stable thermal environment of 24°C, protecting organisms from the extreme thermal fluctuations of the surrounding open sea.
In a related Pacific expedition on July 26, 2026, researchers aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus completed the first visual inspection of the Ruby Seamount following its September 2023 eruption near Saipan.
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Deploying the ROV Little Hercules, the team surveyed the submarine volcano's summit to document how deep-sea communities recover along post-eruption biological trajectories.
