Deep-sea cold seeps are key channels for seafloor methane, but quantifying their emissions has been challenging, creating uncertainties in the global ocean methane budget. To fill this knowledge gap, a research team from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) has found that methane emissions from South China Sea cold seeps far exceed previous estimates, providing important scientific evidence for the accounting of oceanic greenhouse gas sources and sinks.

A deep sea worm that inhabits hydrothermal vents survives the high levels of toxic arsenic and sulfide in its environment by combining them in its cells to form a less hazardous mineral.

In the azure waters of the Caroline Seamounts at a depth of 1240 meters, a red-orange dumbo octopus flutters through the water with its fins as wings.

The near-inertial internal wave is a significant energy source for deep-sea mixing. However, the energy source of deep near-inertial internal waves remains largely unknown. Recently, the research team led by Prof. WANG Fan from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) has made new progress in the study of the generation mechanism of deep near-inertial kinetic energy.

Recently, the research team led by Prof. Luan Zhendong from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) revealed the methane hydrate formation kinetics in bottom seawater and cold-seep fluids.

Recently, the research team led by Prof. HU Shijian from the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS) reported the interannual variability of the Kuroshio and LUC observed by a mooring array and investigated the role of tropical and subtropical wind forcing in the North Pacific.