Mapping the last unmapped frontier

Below the reach
of sunlight

The Hadal Research Institute operates remotely operated vehicles to 11,000 meters depth, studying life in conditions more extreme than outer space.

CURRENT DIVE — 0 m
200m

Twilight Zone

Light fades rapidly. At 200 meters, only 1% of surface sunlight remains. Bioluminescent organisms begin to dominate — 76% of creatures here produce their own light.

Bioluminescent jellyfish drifting in deep blue water
Temperature
12.4°C
Pressure
20.3atm
Light
0.8%
O₂ Sat
4.1ml/L
Crystal Jelly
Aequorea victoria
Depth range0-300m
Size7-10cm
Light typeGFP
Comb Jelly
Mnemiopsis leidyi
Depth range0-200m
Size10-12cm
Light typeDiffraction
Hatchetfish
Argyropelecus gigas
Depth range50-600m
Size7cm
Light typeVentral
1,000m

Midnight Zone

Total darkness. No photosynthesis. Everything alive here either produces its own light or hunts in absolute blackness. Water temperature drops to 4°C and stays there — forever.

Temperature
4.0°C
Pressure
101atm
Light
0.00%
O₂ Sat
2.8ml/L
Giant Squid
Architeuthis dux
Depth range300-1,000m
SizeUp to 13m
Eye diameter27cm
Anglerfish
Melanocetus johnsonii
Depth range200-2,000m
Size20cm
LureEsca
Black Dragonfish
Idiacanthus atlanticus
Depth range500-2,000m
Size40cm
Light typeNear-IR
Ethereal jellyfish with long tentacles glowing in deep ocean waters
Luminescent blue jellyfish in the deep sea
“The deep sea is the largest habitat on Earth, and we have explored less than 5% of it. Every dive reveals something we have never seen before.”
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Oceanographer
11,034m

The Hadal Frontier

Below 6,000 meters, only ocean trenches remain. At the Challenger Deep — 11,034m — pressure exceeds 1,000 atmospheres. Water temperature: 1-4°C. And yet, life persists. Amphipods, snailfish, xenophyophores.

Temperature
1.8°C
Pressure
1,086atm
Salinity
34.7PSU
Known species
475+
Epipelagic
0-200m
Mesopelagic
200-1,000m
Bathypelagic
1,000-4,000m
Abyssopelagic
4,000-6,000m
Hadal
6,000-11,034m

Research Missions

Expedition Log

2026.03.18

Mariana Trench Survey IV

72-hour continuous mapping of the Challenger Deep eastern slope. ROV Nereid documented 14 previously unseen organisms including a translucent snailfish at 10,890m.

Active — ROV Nereid
2025.11.02

Tonga Trench Vent Discovery

First hydrothermal vent field located in the Tonga Trench at 8,200m depth. Chemosynthetic ecosystem supporting tube worms, shrimp, and bacterial mats.

Complete
2025.07.14

Philippine Trench Biodiversity Census

Systematic species census across 5 depth transects from 6,000m to 10,540m. Collected 3,200+ specimens; 47 species new to science.

Complete
2025.02.28

Kermadec Trench Microplastic Survey

First comprehensive microplastic contamination survey of hadal sediments. Found synthetic fibers at 10,800m — deeper than any previous detection.

Complete — Published Nature

Hadal Organisms

Species Database

Translucent jellyfish floating in deep blue water
Species catalogued
2,847
+312 since January 2025
New to science
184
Across 23 expeditions
Recent discoveries
  • Pseudoliparis hadalis2026
  • Alicella princeps var. tonga2025
  • Xenophyophore sp. nov.2025
  • Mariana snailfish B2025

Operations

Live Telemetry

Active ROVs
3
of 7 fleet
Deepest dive
10,928
meters — 2026.03.19
Samples collected
14,203
+847 this quarter
Dive hours
28,440
cumulative
Publications
127
peer-reviewed

Specimen Archive

Sample Log

Sample ID Species Depth Expedition Date Temp Status
HRI-2026-0847 Pseudoliparis swirei 7,966m Mariana IV 2026.03.19 1.8°C Sequenced
HRI-2026-0846 Hirondellea gigas 10,890m Mariana IV 2026.03.19 1.6°C Preserved
HRI-2026-0842 Bathynomus giganteus 2,140m Mariana IV 2026.03.18 3.2°C Processing
HRI-2025-0831 Rimicaris exoculata 8,200m Tonga Vent 2025.11.04 14.2°C Sequenced
HRI-2025-0829 Riftia pachyptila 8,180m Tonga Vent 2025.11.03 22.6°C Preserved
HRI-2025-0814 Alicella gigantea 6,890m Philippine Census 2025.07.22 2.1°C Sequenced
HRI-2025-0808 Xenophyophore sp. nov. 10,540m Philippine Census 2025.07.18 1.4°C Processing
HRI-2025-0791 Grimpoteuthis sp. 4,800m Kermadec Survey 2025.03.02 2.4°C Preserved

Submersible Fleet

ROV Operations

Deployed
Nereid
Full-ocean-depth hybrid ROV
Max depth11,000m
Weight2,800 kg
Endurance36 hrs
Cameras4K + IR
Manipulators2x 7-DOF
Deployed
Orpheus
Autonomous deep-sea vehicle
Max depth6,000m
Weight250 kg
Endurance24 hrs
CamerasStereo HD
NavigationAI Vision
Maintenance
Kaiko Mk. III
Tethered deep-ocean ROV
Max depth7,000m
Weight5,400 kg
Endurance72 hrs
Cameras8K HDR
SamplingMulti-core
Person watching jellyfish in a dark blue setting