Overview
- Research cruises used ROV SuBastian, high‑definition video, and precise seafloor mapping to survey volcanic calderas, the South Sandwich Trench, and seafloor near Montagu and Saunders islands.
- The expedition captured the first confirmed footage of a juvenile colossal squid during the Southern Ocean dives.
- Confirmed finds span iridescent scale worms, previously unknown sea stars, new isopods and amphipods, and rare mollusks adapted to volcanic and hydrothermal‑influenced habitats.
- Specimens were verified at the Southern Ocean Species Discovery Workshop hosted by Universidad de Magallanes in Punta Arenas, Chile.
- Researchers report additional material under review, including a possible new amphipod family and black corals, with confirmed records to be posted in the open‑access Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform.