The ‘Banana Hole’ has been described as a “living library” of our planet’s history - but its future is at risk.
Hidden deep beneath the Arctic is a unique pocket of international waters between Norway and Greenland where ancient sponges thrive and whales gather.
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For the first time, the environmental organisation Greenpeace is conducting a deep-sea expedition to what it describes as one of Earth’s least-known wildernesses – known as the ‘Banana Hole’.
The scientists from various renowned research institutions say they are diving to provide scientific evidence to “ensure this ancestral home remains safe for generations to come”.
Watch the video above to see inside their mission.
What is the ‘Banana Hole’?
The ‘Banana Hole’, deep in the Arctic High Seas, is home to ancient ecosystems and volcanic hot springs that act as a “living library” of our planet’s history.
But this fragile ecosystem is under immediate threat, Greenpeace says: “Industrial mining companies want to strip the seafloor for minerals, which would permanently destroy ancient ecosystems and species before they are even discovered.”
The area of the expedition was opened for deep-sea mining by the Norwegian government in 2024, but was halted last year after protests from environmental organisations, scientists and the green opposition parties in Norway.
Deep-sea mining can have devastating effects. During a five-year investigation, researchers examined data from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, located between Hawaii and Mexico, that is currently being targeted due to its mineral-rich seabed.
They found more than 4,000 animals living on the seafloor and tracked the area’s biodiversity two years before and two months after the mining machine recovered more than 3,000 tonnes of polymetallic nodules.
They warned that the number of macrofaunal animals found in the tracks of the mining vehicles was reduced by a staggering 37 per cent compared to untouched areas.
These are organisms visible to the naked eye, such as worms, crustaceans, snails and clams. There was no impact on animal abundance in regions covered by the sediment plume from the machine. However, the team did find that the test caused a 32 per cent reduction in species richness (the number of different species in a particular area).
Inside the deep-sea expedition
The month-long mission that began earlier this month is focused on exploring Arctic seamounts (underwater mountains) and hydrothermal vent fields – ecosystems so remote they remain largely a mystery to humanity.
“We are sailing into the planet’s uncharted and unexplored territory and will probably find new species that haven’t been described and named up to now,” said Dr Paco Cárdenas, deep-sea sponge expert at the Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University, in a press release.
“These animals have survived for hundreds of millions of years, and we are connected to them in many ways. They are the chemical libraries of the ocean, holding potential cures for diseases and have the important function of cleaning our oceans.
“To lose these species before we even understand them would be a tragedy of global proportions. It’s essential that we protect them.”
Greenpeace and the external scientists onboard are livestreaming from depths down to 3000 metres until 30 May.
You can also follow the expedition on WhatsApp to get notified for all dive streams and findings.
