Biology

Researchers have announced the discovery of an ancient mud volcano 400m deep in the Barents Sea, and they think it’s a sanctuary for vulnerable Arctic species.

"Today we have discovered something exceptional,” says Professor Giuliana Panieri from The Arctic University of Tromso (UiT) in Ocean Census’ video sharing the discovery of the Borealis Mud Volcano.

"One would think that a volcano was not the most hospitable place for living organisms,” says Panieri. But using REV Ocean’s remotely operated vehicle, they could observe the volcano closely and learned that the crusts around its crater provide animals with habitat, shelter and food.