The Secrets of Deep Sea Sponges

While it’s easy to get excited by the colorful corals, sea cucumbers, and sea stars scattered across deep seamounts, the sponges of the deep sea always leave scientists and crew in awe with their delicate features, bright white colors, and odd shapes. We explored 5 unnamed seamounts during the Luʻuaeaahikiikekualonokai expedition, characterizing the different benthic fauna that use these ancient volcanoes as habitat.

A refuge within a refuge for corals, sponges to flourish

A Swirling Vortex Is No Match For This Deep-Sea Sponge The New York Times

deepseasponges - Twitter Hashtag

Sponges and corals: Seafloor assessments to help protect against climate change

Magical mysteries of marine sponges - ScienceDirect

Gallery Nautilus Live

The Secrets of Deep Sea Sponges

The important role of sponges in carbon and nitrogen cycling in a deep-sea biological hotspot – Functional Ecology: Plain Language Summaries

A deep-sea love story - Schmidt Ocean Institute

A Swirling Vortex Is No Match for This Deep-Sea Sponge - The New York Times

Mysteries of the deep sea: 5 burning questions about Earth's final frontier - BBC Science Focus Magazine

Mussels and sponges in the deep sea can thrive on oil with the help of symbiont