Discovering the Hidden Biodiversity of
the Southern Ocean
SSI Southern Ocean Species Discovery Workshop
The South Sandwich Islands (SSI) are among the most remote and under-explored island chains on Earth, volcanic, ice-fringed, and isolated in the Southern Ocean. In early 2025, the Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census Flagship Expedition, conducted in partnership with the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI), set sail to explore this rarely sampled region. The mission deployed SOI’s ROV Subastian and conducted deep-sea sampling systems to map seafloor habitats and collect specimens across a dramatic environmental gradient shaped by tectonic activity and polar ocean currents.
Over the course of the expedition, researchers gathered hundreds of deep-sea organisms, many of which are believed to be new to science. These samples, along with others collected on Ocean Census and SOI’s previous expedition to Antarctica earlier in 2025, form the basis of the upcoming SSI Southern Ocean Species Discovery Workshop hosted by the Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG) in Punta Arenas, Chile—from August 4 to 22, 2025.
Cataloguing Life from the Deep:
The workshop will focus on identifying and cataloguing potentially new marine species collected during the expedition. Using Ocean Census protocols, participating taxonomists will confirm the uniqueness of these species based on morphology and, where relevant, genetics, creating detailed catalogue entries and high-resolution images for each candidate species.
The discoveries made at this workshop will directly contribute to the Ocean Census mission to accelerate the discovery and description of marine life. All data collected will be fed into the Ocean Census Biodiversity Data Platform, providing a digital record of life forms and supporting future taxonomy and conservation science.
Asteroidae Sample from the South Sandwich Islands Expedition Image Credit: The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census
Meet the Experts
Ten taxonomists from across Latin America and Europe, along with hosts from UMAG, are joining forces for this collaborative species discovery effort. Their expertise spans a wide array of deep-sea taxa:
- Dr Raissa Hogan – Black corals & seapens, National University of Ireland (Galway)
- Dr Javier Cristobo – Sponges, IEO-CSIC (Spain)
- Rachel Downey – Sponges, Australian National University
- Zhehao Hu – Peracarid crustaceans, Universität Hamburg
- Dr Emanuel Pereira – Peracarid crustaceans, University of Buenos Aires
- Dr Triana Revanales – Peracarid crustaceans, Universidad de Cádiz
- Dr Jorge Pérez Schultheiss – Peracarid crustaceans, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile
- Dr Pamela Rivadeniera – Sea stars, University of Mar del Plata
During the last dive of the expedition the science team gather biological and geological samples from ROV SuBastian. Image credit: Alex Ingle / Schmidt Ocean Institute
Hosted by UMAG’s own experts:
- Prof Americo Montiel – Polychaetes, Universidad de Magallanes
- Prof Cristian Aldea – Molluscs, Universidad de Magallanes
Ocean Census Team
- Dr Verity Nye – Science Manager, Ocean Census
- Isla Monaghan – Workshop Coordinator, Ocean Census
Why It Matters
The South Sandwich Islands region is a hotspot of endemism, shaped by hydrothermal vents, seamounts, and extreme environmental variability. Yet, it remains largely unmapped and under-sampled. By accelerating species identification from this ecosystem, the workshop helps fill critical knowledge gaps about deep-sea biodiversity in the Southern Ocean.
This workshop not only continues Ocean Census’ commitment to scientific discovery but also supports the development of taxonomy, by engaging experts from around the world in collaborative research. The findings will advance our global understanding of life in one of the least-known corners of the ocean, and hopefully strengthen efforts to conserve it.
Umbellula, a type of Octocoral, sampled from the South Sandwich Islands expedition Image Credits: The Nippon Foundation-Nekton Ocean Census
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