Giant Sponge Gardens Spotted On Extinct Volcanoes In The Arctic Ocean

Hotspots of life discovered by scientists on extinct volcanoes beneath the Arctic Ocean showed how organisms adapt and thrive in a hostile and sunless environment, feeding on the remains of animals that died thousands of years ago. (Alfred Wegener Ins.)

Scientists were mystified by how gardens of massive sponges at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean thrive in the cold, dark environment that is otherwise hostile to life.

In the permanently icebound Arctic Ocean, there is little light and thus low productivity of algae plants, which form the basis of the oceanic food chain. German scientists during the voyage of the Polarstern research vessel were astounded to find sponges living atop volcanic seamounts in the Central Arctic Ocean.