Archive · 9 Jan 2026
Scientists Discover Hidden Deep-Sea Arctic Ecosystem
Scientists have found a hidden world deep under the Arctic Ocean.
This place is very dark and cold, but it's full of life.
They found big mounds of frozen methane and oil, which are like ice structures that hold gas.
These mounds are home to many different creatures, like shrimp and worms, that live without sunlight.
The scientists used a special robot to explore this area and found that the gas comes from deep inside the Earth.
This discovery is important because it helps us understand how life can exist in such extreme places and how gases move through the Earth.
It might also help make decisions about protecting the ocean and whether to mine minerals from the seafloor.
Scientists discovered a hidden deep-sea ecosystem beneath the Arctic Ocean, full of life despite complete darkness and freezing temperatures.
The ecosystem features the deepest methane hydrate mounds ever found, named the Freya Mounds, located 2.5 miles below the sea surface.
The discovery was made by a team led by Juliana Panieri and Jonathan T Copley, with findings published in the journal 'Nature Communications'.
The mounds support a diverse range of organisms, including amphipods, shrimp, tube worms, and various crustaceans, all surviving through chemosynthesis.
The expedition recorded the deepest gas hydrate seepage ever, with methane-rich gas plumes rising over 3,300 meters underwater.
- Who
- Scientists led by Juliana Panieri and Jonathan T Copley
- What
- Discovery of a deep-sea ecosystem with methane hydrate mounds
- When
- Expedition conducted in May 2024, research published last month
- Where
- Molloy Ridge, Greenland Sea, Arctic Ocean
- Why
- To understand deep-sea life, carbon movement, and potential impacts on climate science and deep-sea mining policies
- Location
- Molloy Ridge, Greenland Sea, Arctic Ocean
- Depth
- 2.5 miles below sea surface
- Discoverers
- Juliana Panieri and Jonathan T Copley
- Publication
- Nature Communications
- Organisms Found
- Amphipods, red caridean shrimp, Sclerolinum tube worms, snails, polychaete worms, crustaceans
- Gas Composition
- Methane, ethane, propane, butane
- Expedition Date
- May 2024
- Mound Size
- Up to six meters wide
