Imagine life in the very deep sea – eternal darkness, no plant photosynthesis to form the base of the food webs, water temperatures hovering around freezing, pressures 1000 times greater than at the surface. Yet complex and diverse ecosystems exist; weird and sometimes very large creatures float and swim; and around 80% of this world remains unexplored. Join Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer Chris Kelley, as they consider life in deep ocean (part 2 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: May 20, 2026)
Learn more:
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide
Ocean Exploration Trust
University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive
Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley at Ocean Exploration Trust
Chris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome
The Mysterious Deep Sea
Animals of the Deep
Mysteries of the Deep
BBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the Ocean
Mystery sound recording: NOAA National Ocean Service
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