The MTA initiative

Meet the Abyss is a collaborative initiative aimed to gathering, expanding, and sharing knowledge about the mesmerizing diversity of life inhabiting one of Earth's last frontiers: the abyssal seafloor.

Covering over 50% of the planet’s surface, the abyssal seabed lies at depths of 3,000 to 6,000 meters and hosts a rich array of animal communities that play a critical role in maintaining the health of the ocean. Understanding the species that live in the abyss and how they function is becoming increasingly urgent to assess the resilience of these ecosystems against the growing threats to deep ocean biodiversity. Yet, only a small fraction of abyssal species has been described.

Megafauna, the largest-sized invertebrates living in the abyss, are so large that can be studied from seabed photography data collected using deep water robots. MTA provides a platform that brings together life-history and taxonomic information on abyssal megafauna species, offering a platform to visualise and learn about the striking diversity of life within these vast, unexplored ecosystems.

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