🌊🧪🦑🌏 Hotspots beyond borders: quantitative assessment of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the Corner Rise seamounts with implications for conservation planning "depth and water mass structure are key drivers of coral and sponge biogeography on the CRS. " doi.org/10.3389/fmar...

This week in our Deep Sea Round Up: 🔹️Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems at seamounts, 🔹️How scientific practices at sea influence ocean management, 🔹️Nutrient cycling sponge hotspots 👉 www.dosi-project.org/dosi-deep-se... 📷 Oblong Dermechinus urchins by ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Science Spotlight New research shows that depth and water masses shape coral and sponge communities of the Corner Rise Seamounts. Six habitats meet criteria for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, evidence which strengthens the case for continued protection.

Join us on February 12th at 9:30 a.m. PST for our next Reef Chat: Baby Deep-Sea Creatures! Register here: bit.ly/3KiPxzM

Yeah baby!! Will we see you at the opening on Friday?

Getting ready for our show in Juneau! All the work arrived safe and sound, look at all that fab art together, like a perfect deep sea family 😍😍😍 #sciart #deepsea #deepseart #alaska #artshow 🦑🐡

Not long now! Just under two weeks until our show opening in Juneau Alaska- will we see you there? #deepsea #sciart #womeninstem #womenartists #alaska 🦑🐡 #artshow

Ooooo yeah, one more piece for our upcoming show in Juneau Alaska! A deep-sea octopus, titled “Living the Kaleidoscope Life” this 16x20” acrylic on canvas is based on deep sea footage taken by NOAA off the coast of Alaska in 2023 #deepsea #deepseacreatures #octopus 🦑🐡 #sciart #womenartists #painting

Working away on this #deepsea carnivorous sponge, crinoid and brittle star painting. It’s getting there, probably 75% done now, adding all the details and rainbow colors is my fav part! #deepseacreatures #coldwatersponges 🐡🦑 #invertebrates #acrylicpainting #marinebiology #art #painting #artist

On this fine fall day, we have some little baby deep-sea octopus 🐙 #deepseaoctopus #babyoctopus #deep-sea #unseenoceancollective #deepseacreatures #🐙

Representing the carnivorous sponges for our shows in 2026!

One more painting for the @unseenocean.bsky.social shows completed! Titled “Nibbles and Cuddles” this 24x24” acrylic on canvas is a Chondrocladia carnivorous sponge, several varieties of brittle stars, and even a little rainbow polychaete too! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean 🐡🦑 #acrylicpainter

So honored to be working with this incredible group of women! @planulara.bsky.social @gsstudios907.bsky.social @highseas-sculpture.bsky.social

Welcome to the Unseen Ocean! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #sciart #womeninstem #unseenoceancollective 🦑🐡

I’m back to share what I’ve been working on for the @unseenocean.bsky.social collective! Here we have the noble Blob sculpin, not the hot melted mess in the most famous blobfish photo, but a true and beautiful deep-sea beauty! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #blobfish #acrylicpainting #art 🐡🦑

Our show in Juneau Alaska is coming up next month! We hope you can join us and see this new Blob Sculpin painting in person! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #blobfish #acrylicpainting #art 🐡🦑

Getting closer and closer on this one, almost to the details stage where everything really snaps into place. This piece is for shows with the @unseenocean.bsky.social #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean #deepseaart 🐡🦑 #art #acryliconcanvas #brittlestars

Friends- this carnivorous sponge is basically the COOLEST thing ever! Semi-transparent bulbous knobs, and totally covered in brittle stars *swoon* def new boyfriend material. Oh and I started another painting 😁 #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡🦑 #deepseaart #unseenocean #art #acryliconcanvas

This new fav sponge is either Chondrocladia grandis or Chondrocladia concrescens, as both species occur in Alaskan waters! #deepsea #deepseacreaturea 🐡🦑 #deepseaart

Feeling pretty awesome today with my painting being featured on the cover of the latest issue of Deep-Sea Life from @dsbsoc.bsky.social and DOSI, you can read the whole issue here, make sure to read the feature on @unseenocean.bsky.social #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡🦑 #deepseaart #acrylicpainting

Meet the team behind #ArtSeaMatchmaking! We are artist @delphine-art.bsky.social on a mission to share the beauty of the deep sea, and biologist @planulara.bsky.social studying deep-sea corals and sponges. We started this initiative to bring artists and scientists together to collaborate and create.

Another beautiful piece for our shows in Juneau Alaska and Spokane Washington!

It’s been a crazy family health crisis kind of month, but I finally made it back into the studio to finish up this 24x36” acrylic on canvas painting titled ‘Huggies and Snackies’. A beautiful stalked carnivorous sponge is joined by pink brittle stars and a golden crinoid. Cuties 😍 #deepsea 🐡🦑 #art

This week's Bergen Bathysphere Science Symposium brought together deep-sea scientists and professionals for hands-on workshops on QGIS (maps), BIIGLE (underwater footage), data management and platforms, standardization, cruise planning, as well as group discussions, and time to connect 🌊

Deep-sea housing complex of sponges varieties, offering crustaceans refuge and a place to snack. "There Grows the Neighborhood" — 16x20” Check out the growing collection of deep-sea fine art by our team @unseenocean.bsky.social! #sciart #scienceillustration #deep-sea #unseenoceancollective

Oooooo!! 😍😍😍 can’t wait to see this work in person in Juneau Alaska Feb 2026!

We had a lovely write up in Issue 25 of the Deep-Sea Life newsletter! You can check out the whole issue here: www.dosi-project.org/wp-content/u... #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean 🐡🦑

!PhD opportunity! Use #PassiveAcousticMonitoring + #AI to decode the soundscapes of #deep-sea habitats 📍 University of Glasgow 🔗 shorturl.at/lcJIu 📆 Internationals: 8 December 📆 UK: 5 January @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk @uofglasgow.bsky.social @tiffanyvlaar.bsky.social @abe404.bsky.social

Wellllll look who has some associates! Got these adorable brittle stars onto the sponge this week, besties at the bottom just hugging and snacking! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean 🐡🦑 #painting #acrylicpainting #brittlestar #carnivorousponge

Huggies and Snackies!

🌊 Big win for the #DeepSea At the #IUCNCongress members voted to adopt: ✅ Motion 032 – Protecting seamounts and vulnerable marine ecosystems from destructive practices ✅ Motion 035 – Protecting mesopelagic ecosystem integrity Thanks to those who voted science into policy 👏

Looooooove this Paragorgia!! 😍😍😍

We can’t wait to see Meghan’s finished painting in Juneau this February!

LOVE these adorable octopus for the coloring sheets we are producing, can’t wait to share them with the kids of Juneau and Spokane!

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

Feeding polyps done! Next up: resin, adding color and final tentacle details. Can’t wait to show this 3D coral at our upcoming @unseenocean.bsky.social exhibitions - first stop: Swedish Biodiversity Symposium in 2 weeks! #unseenoceancollective #deepsea #sciart #deepseaart #paragorgia #bubblegum

Adding feeding polyps to my Bubblegum coral model! Only one side has open polyps - just like in real colonies, where the side facing the current feeds. When retracted, the soft polyp tissue tucks safely into the skeleton #paragorgia #deepsea #unseenoceancollective @unseenocean.bsky.social

Phantom of the Sea Lilies — deep-sea Antimora fish swims among golden sea lilies (stalked crinoids, animals related to sea stars and urchins) and spindly stalks of orange coral #deep-sea #sciart #natureillustration #deepseaart #deepseacreatures

On to the next painting! Needed a larger canvas for this dramatic stalked glass sponge, oooo she’s already pretty! Just working in some of the background layers today. This is more work for the @unseenocean.bsky.social events in Juneau and Spokane #deepsea #deepseacreatures #acrylicpainting 🐡🦑 #art

More upcoming work that will be shown at our Alaska and WA state events next year!

We are going to kick off our first show in Sweden next month - join us for an unforgettable blend of fine art and science! You can check out the events section on our site for details! www.unseenoceancollective.com #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡 #coldwatercoral #womeninsteam #scicomm

And finished! How many shrimp can you find? If you’re headed to the Swedish Biodiversity Symposium in October then keep and eye out for this painting among other artworks by the @unseenocean.bsky.social #deepsea #deepseacreatures 🐡🦑 #coldwatercoral #acrylicpainting #art #scicomm

Has the day got you down? Watch this soothing one hour #okeanos sponge and coral video to etheral music! #octocoralFriday #spongeThursday Produced by Caitlin Bailey and GFOE youtu.be/DSHFDHthDQo?...

My fav part of painting these deep-sea coral and sponge gardens is the feeling of discovery- today it’s finding a shrimp and a sneaky hiding fish in the cup corals 😍😍😍 make sure to check out @unseenocean.bsky.social for more great #sciart for our upcoming art shows and events! #deepsea 🦑 #painting

Can’t wait to have this painting hung at the Swedish Biodiversity symposium as part of our first group show!

Mushroom coral, mushroom coral, you are sooooo beautiful 😍 almost done this painting and I love the details phase- especially when it’s a mushroom coral! Beauty. #deepsea #deepseacreatures #acrylicpainting 🐡🦑 #marinebioligy @unseenocean.bsky.social

So pumped to be a part of this trailblazing art and science collective with @gsstudios907.bsky.social @highseas-sculpture.bsky.social and @planulara.bsky.social !! Stay tuned for some really cool upcoming work and events! #deepsea #deepseacreatures #deepocean #marinebiology #art

Welcome to the Unseen Ocean! Our all female team is bringing #deepsea #fineart and #science to international public venues in 2025-26. We believe that everyone should be shown the beauty of the #deep-sea and are committed to widening the scope of #scicomm! 🐡 #deepocean #marinebiology #art #coral