Ocean Census

21/09/2026

Meet our squad!!

This incredible bunch are currently leading a species discovery workshop in Chile. They are analysing potential new species from 3 previous expeditions, which explored areas of the Southern Ocean and South Atlantic.

Swipe through to see what animals some of the science team are studying, and meet a few of the coordination team too.

What animal would you most like to specialise in? Or maybe you already do! Let us know in the comments 👇🐟🪸🐚🐙

Thanks to workshop partners Schmidt Ocean Institute and hosts Institutodelapatagonia_umag.

21/09/2026

🔬 Meet NOVA: a new home for newly discovered marine species.

Did you know, there can be a long journey between finding a new species and formally describing and naming it? About 13.5 years on average! In the meantime, valuable information about that species can sit in individual collections around the world. Species 'discovery' sits in that gap.

A 'Discovered' species is when a scientist is confident that a species is brand new to science, from examining its shape and features, and its DNA. So how do we bring it all together in a useful way, that supports the future description of new species?

18/09/2026

This work is so important, but it rarely gets the limelight.

Today we're spotlighting scientist Tania for the incredible behind-the-scenes work she has done, ahead of the species discovery workshop at Instituto de la Patagonia UMAG in Chile.

Expeditions are the action-packed and media-grabbing parts of species discovery. Scientists travel to never before explored parts of the ocean, cameras show us what's under the water, samples are collected and processed.

But there's also quieter activity that takes place in labs which is so important for the discovery of new species...

🤝 Workshop in collaboration with @[urn:li:organization:1594721]

17/09/2026

Today is International Microorganism Day! Was it in your calendar already? If not we suggest you pop it in immediately.

Microbes are all over our planet. Some make us sick, but without microbes we’d be in a lot of trouble - and so would our oceans.

Studies suggest that microorganisms make up between 70-98% of the biomass of our oceans. They produce oxygen, food and habitats, provide protection and drive global biogeochemical cycles.

🐙🔍 Many of the new species of marine life registered to the Ocean Census NOVA rely on microorganisms to survive.

16/09/2026

Scientists have discovered a new deep-sea coral, which has helped solve a mystery that has puzzled scientists for more than a century!

Meet Paragorgia quitinosa, a newly discovered species found at 670 metres depth on a seamount in the southeastern Pacific.

Unlike many corals, these bubblegum corals can grow to more than two storeys tall without an internal skeleton. So how do they support such large colonies?

Scientists have found the answer in chitin, the structural material also found in the shells of crustaceans and the exoskeletons of insects. In P. quitinosa, chitin forms a network of tubes running throughout the colony, providing structural support.

This is the first time chitin has been found in octocoral tissue. The finding could provide new insight into how other skeleton-less octocorals are structured and supported.

The discovery was made possible through research involving scientists from the Ocean Census Science Network, following material collected during a Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition to the Nazca Ridge in 2024.

The specimen was also a reproductively active female, with developing eggs found within its polyps, adding further insight into the biology of this newly discovered species.

📰 Paper linked in the comments
📸 Paragorgia quitinosa, with brittle star attached. Photo: ROV SuBastian / Schmidt Ocean Institute

Centro Científico ESMOI Universidad de los Andes UTRGV - The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

16/09/2026

OPPORTUNITY: Get a front-row seat to the latest in seamount research 🗻

Less than 1% of the world’s seamounts have been thoroughly mapped and explored. These underwater mountains can be hotspots for marine life, while also influencing ocean circulation and chemical cycling. But with so much of the seafloor still unexplored, there is a lot we have yet to learn.

On 28th September, our Alliance partners Schmidt Ocean Institute are bringing together scientists who have studied seamounts in Chile and on the high seas. Scientists will discuss seamount ecology, including incredible new species discoveries; what they have learned so far; and what questions remain.

Scientists from the Ocean Census Science Network will be joining the conversation, alongside Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr Jyotika Virmani, who will spotlight a seamount discovered during the 2024 High Seas and Seamounts of the Nazca Ridge expedition.

🌊 Register for the webinar: https://schmidtocean-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RTc6c9dORl6xqdk07FQogw #/registration

14/09/2026

"If you had told me a year ago that I would be joining a deep-sea research expedition, I'm not sure I would have believed you. At the time, becoming a deep-sea scientist wasn't even the direction I thought I was heading."

Ocean Census scientist Cherisse recently returned from the Deep Wonders of Trinidad and Tobago expedition with SpeSeas and Schmidt Ocean Institute. She documents the adventure in her article, now available to read on the Ocean Census website.

Perhaps our favourite quote from her article: "It turns out serious deep-sea science and questionable late-night singing can coexist quite happily!"

Read the article here:

Cherisse Persad is one of our 2026 Ocean Census Expedition Awardees. Cherisse spent 30 days (29 June – 28 July 2026) on Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) - participating in the Deep Wonders of Trinidad and Tobago expedition. Find out more about her experience and what she learnt from the ...

11/09/2026

Meet the science team in Chile! 👨‍🔬 Matthew Lee and Virag Venekey are our nematode specialists.

So, what exactly are they looking for?

🔬 Nematodes are roundworms found across marine environments, from shallow waters to the deep sea. For taxonomists, the challenge is that closely related species can look remarkably similar. Identifying them can mean examining small differences in their morphology, comparing them with existing species descriptions, and combining this with DNA analysis.

At the workshop, Matthew and Virag are examining nematode specimens collected during expeditions to the South Sandwich Islands, Bellingshausen Sea and Chile Margin. The team is recording new species data and images in Ocean Census NOVA. Their work is part of a bigger collaborative effort to accelerate species discovery.

And they're not the only specialists at the microscope. Meet the rest of the Chile workshop team as we introduce the scientists working across holothurians, isopods, ostracods, amphipods and cnidarians. 🔬

08/09/2026

The coffee is poured, the microscopes are set! ☕🔬🥼 Scientists have begun analysing potential new species in Punta Arenas, Chile.

This week, scientists are examining specimens collected from 3 of the Southern Ocean and Chile Margin’s pioneering deep-sea expeditions, looking for species that may be new to science.

The workshop brings together seven taxonomists from the Ocean Census Science Network alongside four local experts. The material includes samples from the 2025 Ocean Census–Schmidt Ocean Institute expedition, which mapped deep-sea habitats and documented and sampled marine life around the volcanic South Sandwich Islands, as well as expeditions to the Chile Margin and Bellingshausen Sea.

Over the coming days, scientists will examine the material using an integrated taxonomic approach, identifying species new to science and recording their data and images in Ocean Census NOVA, our data platform for marine species discovery.

It’s a collaborative process that connects exploration at sea with the detailed scientific work that turns specimens into species discoveries.

We’re looking forward to seeing what the scientists uncover and are grateful to our hosts at the Instituto de la Patagonia UMAG, our partner Schmidt Ocean Institute, and everyone contributing their expertise to the workshop.