Cold Seeps

During the Seascape Alaska 3 expedition, the team encountered dense “fields” of Lamellibranchia sp. tubeworms, like those pictured here from a depth of 2,018 meters (1.25 miles). The field extended at least 200 meters (656 feet) wide, but is likely even larger based on the bubble trail discovered during expedition mapping operations.

In 2013, scientists discovered a previously unknown methane seep off the coast of Virginia. At the seep site, they found this vast mussel community on flat bottom as well as on rocks rising a meter or more off the seafloor.

This octopus was seen during a DEEP SEARCH 2019: DEEP Sea Exploration to Advance Research on Coral/Canyon/Cold seep Habitats expedition dive at Blake Ridge Seep off the coast of North Carolina.