An international team of scientists traveled on the German research vessel Polarstern between 2002 and 2005 to catalog life in the deep sea.

They explored the deep Weddell Sea and nearby seas, going to depths of about 2,300 to 19,700 feet (700 to 6,000 meters).

The deepest parts of the seas around Antarctica show unique environmental features, such as a deep continental shelf, and they are the source of much of the deep water in the world's oceans.

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