Imaging Deep-Sea life beyond the abyssal zone

The Hadal Environmental Science and Education Program (HADEEP) project was carried out as a joint venture between the universities of Aberdeen and Tokyo, with an aim to observe the transition between abyssal and hadal scavengers and adaptations of life at extreme depths. The project has designed, constructed and deployed a 12,000 meter-rated free fall lander vehicle, called as Hadal-Lander between 6,000 and 10,000 meters. The developed delivery system consisted of four components as instrument frame, ballast weights, ballast release system and flotation modules, and the video system was comprised of: camera, logging system, battery and lamps. All the deployed components enable the detailed observation of active scavenging community, exhibiting an increase in small crustaceans with increasing depth and distinct species zonation. The Hadal-Lander highlighted he huge gap in knowledge of the environment with technological capabilities.