Rethinking Our (Deep-Sea)World

The deep sea, long imagined as a realm of eternal stillness and slow change, is telling a different story through new research—one of rapid transformation, ancient yet accelerating life strategies, and ecological revelations that challenge our fundamental understanding of life on Earth. The NorthEast Pacific Deep-sea Exploration Project (NEPDEP)—a United Nations Ocean Decade collaboration between federal, academic, and Indigenous scientists in Canada—is uncovering evidence that reshapes how we think about the resilience and fragility of life in our rapidly changing world.
Since 2017, NEPDEP has been monitoring a vast network of deep-sea Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), documenting the impacts of climate change and human activity at depths reaching 3,500 meters. Our surveys reveal dramatic and often unexpected changes: mass die-offs of cold-water corals driven by ocean acidification and cities of glass sponges disappearing as oxygen levels plummet—all occurring far faster than scientific models predicted. And yet, paradoxically, amid these signs of decline, some deep-sea habitats emerge as sanctuaries of resilience. These strongholds harbour survivors of coastal disease outbreaks and support ancient lineages with some of the slowest known developmental timelines—including species whose eggs take up to years to hatch. Most recently, NEPDEP made a groundbreaking discovery in the Tuzo Wilson Seamount Complex off the Haida Gwaii archipelago: the world’s fourth known (and largest) paired volcanic system, where hydrothermal circulation between the two underwater mountains fuels extraordinary biological diversity and vibrant deep-sea nurseries. Such discoveries offer a vivid glimpse into how time and space shape life in profound and unimaginable ways.
Over 95% of the livable space in our world is within the deep sea. So, with each dive, NEPDEP is not just cataloguing new species and habitats but confronting how little we know about life on Earth. Our discoveries underscore the urgent need for conservation in a world where million-year-old seamounts, thousand-year-old animals, and fast-moving climate signals collide.