Deep-sea animals in the Pacific Ring of Fire off Japan are rapidly growing and adapting, scientists observed in crewed submersible dives.
Creatures in the deep, dark ocean have evolved diverse strategies to survive, adapting to varying depths and nutrient availability.
The team from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology published their findings gleaned from studies in the Ring of Fire – a Pacific belt that contains hundreds of active and dormant volcanoes – in the peer-reviewed Journal of Biogeography last month.
The scientists conducted six crewed submersible dives at depths ranging from around 7,000 metres to 9,775 metres (23,000-32,000 feet) across three trenches in Japan in 2022.
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Life finds a way in the deepest ocean trenches
Life finds a way in the deepest ocean trenches
Among them was the Japan Trench that runs parallel to the east coast of Japan for more than 600km.
