Beneath the deep sea at nearly 10,000 meters, a Chinese-led team has discovered vibrant communities of marine creatures that survive without sunlight, relying instead on chemical reactions for energy.

The groundbreaking study was published on Wednesday in the scientific journal "Nature."

The tube worms. /IDSSE

The study, led by the Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering (IDSSE) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed the world's deepest-known chemosynthetic life communities that derive energy from chemical reactions within geologic fluids.

These thriving communities, primarily composed of tube worms and bivalve mollusks, sustain themselves by consuming fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane.

China's manned submersible Fendouzhe is used in the study. /IDSSE

Using China's manned submersible Fendouzhe ("Striver"), the research team reached a record depth of 9,533 kilometers and explored a vast 2,500-kilometer stretch of the trench floor in the Kuril-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches.

The bivalve mollusks. /IDSSE

Geochemical analysis indicated that methane in these environments is produced by microorganisms deep within the sediment layers, which continuously convert carbon dioxide derived from the breakdown of organic matter. That suggests the existence of a vast, active and previously unknown biosphere beneath the abyssal ocean floor.

The discovery directly challenges the traditional belief that abyssal ecosystems primarily rely on organic particles and animal remains that sink from the ocean surface, providing a new perspective for understanding the complex mechanisms of deep-sea carbon cycle.

Additionally, the study suggests that chemosynthetic organisms may profoundly influence both the structure of abyssal ecosystems and the global carbon cycle.

The research is a key component of the Global Hadal Exploration Programme (GHEP), a decade-long international initiative led by the IDSSE, which aims to explore the mysteries of the Earth's deepest oceanic zones using cutting-edge deep-diving technologies. (CGTN)