UBA Scientists Embark on Unprecedented Deep-Sea Expedition to Explore Argentine Sea Ecosystems
A team of scientists from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) will depart from the port of Buenos Aires on December 14, 2025, aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) research vessel for a month-long expedition to study unique ecosystems in the Argentine Sea. The expedition, dubbed “Life in the Extremes,” will be streamed live on the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s YouTube channel, offering a rare glimpse into some of the planet’s least explored underwater environments.
The journey, concluding on January 10, 2026, in Puerto Madryn, will traverse various sectors of the Argentine Sea from north to south. This isn’t the team’s first foray into these depths; they previously gained international attention for discovering remarkable marine life during a prior mission. Now, they are preparing to investigate newly detected cold seeps – areas where methane leaks from the continental slope – in the Salado Basin, the Malvinas Basin, and the relatively unexplored Colorado-Rawson basins.
The primary goal of the expedition is to understand the complex processes governing these methane leaks and the chemosynthetic ecosystems they support. These ecosystems are home to organisms capable of thriving in extreme conditions, utilizing chemical energy from the microbial reduction of methane where almost no other life can survive. “Studying these processes is key to understanding the role of gas in deep ocean dynamics,” a researcher explained.
According to Martín Bravo, a researcher at IGeBA (UBA-Conicet), the campaign represents a significant regional effort to comprehensively analyze how methane influences the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of these extreme environments. The distribution and importance of these communities in the South Atlantic remain largely unknown.
The team will rely heavily on the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian, which played a crucial role in their previous discoveries. At least 15 ROV dives are planned, all of which will be broadcast live, allowing the public to witness the exploration firsthand. SuBastian, capable of descending to depths of 4,500 meters, will collect samples of water, sediment, rocks, and benthic fauna, providing valuable data for analysis.
The expedition is a truly interdisciplinary undertaking, bringing together 25 scientists – 17 from Argentina and 11 from Exactas UBA – specializing in fields such as ecology, taxonomy, marine chemistry, physical oceanography, geology, and geophysics. The team will also utilize instrumentation from Falkor (too) for acoustic mapping and advanced environmental DNA sampling.
Adding to the expedition’s expertise is the participation of Lisa Levin, a renowned American ecologist and world leader in chemosynthetic ecosystems, who previously collaborated with Bravo at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. Her involvement underscores the international significance of this research.
This expedition promises to unlock new insights into the hidden world of the Argentine Sea, revealing the intricate connections between geological processes, chemical energy, and the remarkable life that thrives in the deep ocean’s most extreme environments.
