What’s Hiding at the Most Solitary Place on Earth? The Deep Sea

Sometimes the world feels...hmm, boring.

We've visited all the remote islands, conquered the Arctic, and penetrated the deepest jungles.

But there is still one place to explore.

It's a wet and deadly desert inhabited by mysterious creatures living in total darkness.

The deep sea.

Let's dive down.

[♫ Catchy Intro Jingle ♫]

When we look at the sheer scale of the Earth's oceans,

it's hard to believe that less than 2% of all biomass on Earth lives here.

And of that small percentage, around 90% is located close to the surface in the first 200 meters.

This is where we begin our journey.

Here, light can still penetrate the water which allows photosynthesis to occur.

Phytoplankton,

trillions and trillions of single-celled algae and bacteria make up the foundation

of the ocean's ecosystem, and they're consumed by bigger plankton, who are consumed by other species.

The seafloor at this depth is akin to the Amazon rainforest, and is often covered with coral reefs, algae,

and other sea plants that are home to a plethora of sea animals.

So far, we've focused most of our attention on this comparatively pleasant environment,

where we fish, swim, pollute, and do science.

So, let's dive deeper.

Moving from familiar coastal waters into deeper, more remote waters, we eventually reach the edge

of the continental shelf, where we're confronted with the continental slope,

the long descent down to the deep sea.

With every additional metre of water, light fades drastically, which means there are basically

no more plants, and the seemingly steep continental slope begins to remind us of the surface of the Moon.