We descend past the last traces of sunlight to study organisms that have never known the surface.
Sublevel 7 operates a permanently-manned research habitat at 3,800 metres below sea level, on the edge of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Our teams catalogue new species, map hydrothermal ecosystems, and study the biochemical processes that sustain life in extreme pressure and total darkness. What we find down here changes what we know about life on Earth.
// Recent Specimen Catalogue
Phantom Anglerfish
Melanocetus Johnsonii
Bioluminescent lure with the highest recorded photon output of any deep-sea organism. Females reach 18 cm; males are parasitic.
1000–4000 m
Glass Sponge Colony
Hexactinellida sp. nov.
Siliceous skeleton forming reef structures over 10,000 years old. Filter-feeds at extraordinary efficiency in low-nutrient waters.
200–4500 m
Rift Tube Worm
Riftia Pachyptila
Chemolithoautotrophic symbiont. Survives entirely on hydrogen sulfide from hydrothermal vents. No mouth. No digestive tract.
2500–3000 m
Ocean Depth Zones
Epipelagic — Sunlight Zone0 to 200 m. Photosynthesis occurs. Most familiar marine life.0 – 200 m
Mesopelagic — Twilight Zone200 to 1,000 m. Faint light. The largest animal migration on Earth happens here daily.200 – 1,000 m
Bathypelagic — Midnight Zone1,000 to 4,000 m. Zero sunlight. Bioluminescence is the only light. Home to Sublevel 7.1,000 – 4,000 m
Abyssopelagic — Abyss4,000 to 6,000 m. Near-freezing temperatures. Abyssal plains stretch uninterrupted for thousands of kilometres.4,000 – 6,000 m
Hadopelagic — Hadal Trenches6,000 to 11,000 m. The deepest places on Earth. Pressure exceeds 1,000 atmospheres.6,000 – 11,000 m