INTO THE BLUE: EXPLORING LIFE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN ABYSS
Beneath the surface of the Mediterranean Sea lies a little known wealth of biodiversity.
The deep sea, defined as the area below 200 meters, covers over 65% of the Earth's surface and hosts 95% of the global biosphere. Its rich and unique biodiversity is due to the great variety of its habitats: underwater mountains and canyons, mud volcanoes, hydrothermal vents, sponge gardens, and gorgonian meadows.
A mosaic of ecosystems that provides shelter to over 3,000 different species: deep corals like bamboo coral, abyssal fish, anglerfish, giant squids, and many other organisms still little known.
Many of these species live in extreme conditions, with little or no light, cold temperatures, and high pressure. Yet, they have adapted remarkably well, contributing to the complexity and functioning of marine ecosystems.
These deep habitats are not only important for their biodiversity: they regulate fundamental cycles for life on our planet and play a key role to keep the global climate stable.
On the eve of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 2025), Alessia Zecchini and MedReAct called for the protection of the deep marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean, highlighting their importance for the future of our sea.
Marine sediments, for example, are vital in regulating the carbon cycle as they absorb more carbon than they emit, with significant consequences in the context of climate change. It has recently been discovered that deep water sediments represent nearly 80% of the carbon stock in all marine sediments.
In recent decades, new technologies have enabled exploration of increasingly deeper and unexplored areas, improving our understanding of how these ecosystems function and revealing how unique, yet extremely fragile, they are.
In recent years, drilling and the exploitation of natural resources have reached even greater depths, driven in part by technological advancements, extending the impact of human activities to areas once inaccessible.
This pressure is compounded by the effects of climate change, such as increasing ocean acidification, the reduction of dissolved oxygen levels, and marine heatwaves.
However, the most significant impact on deep marine ecosystems comes from industrial fishing, which has become increasingly invasive and aggressive. Due to the decline in fish stocks from overfishing, bottom trawling is gradually moving into deeper waters, putting even the most vulnerable environments at risk.
The result? A progressive desertification of deep sea ecosystems, and making them increasingly inhospitable.
