The Deep Sea

ocean · extreme environment · unexplored · creatures

Pitch black darkness. The deep sea starts at about 200 meters down, which is deeper than two football fields stacked on top of each other. Below this depth, sunlight cannot reach, making it darker than the darkest night on land.

Freezing cold water. Temperatures in the deep sea hover just above freezing, usually between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius (32 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit). It is so cold that many creatures there have special adaptations to survive.

Crushing pressure. The deeper you go, the more water presses down on you from above. The pressure in the deep sea is hundreds of times stronger than the pressure at the ocean's surface.

Least explored place. Scientists have explored less of the deep sea than the surface of the Moon. The extreme conditions make it incredibly difficult and expensive to send equipment and people down to study it.

Life glows here. Many deep sea creatures make their own light through a process called bioluminescence to attract prey, find mates, or communicate with each other in the darkness.