All the way down

The magnitude of present and future impacts of anthropogenic climate change on coral reefs is debated. But until recently most people seem to have assumed that it would not affect ecosystems on deep sea thermal vents at all.

But now Jon Copley of the University of Southampton and colleagues are challenging this assumption. "If climate change were to alter patterns of life in surface waters, our work suggests that these changes could potentially be communicated to the ocean floor", he says.

See No place for life to hide and Deep sea vents no climate haven.

A deep sea frogfish contemplates the news.