October 9, 2026 — The vast and largely unexplored seafloor off Alaska’s coastline produces occasional startling discoveries.
The latest concerns the sponges that line the bottom of the ocean and contribute to an ecosystem that supports some of the nation’s biggest seafood harvests.
Scientists have now identified nine previously unknown species of sea sponges that dwell there, including one that represents an entire genus that was previously unknown.
The discoveries are the product of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration program to better understand Alaska’s sponge and coral gardens, underwater zones about which knowledge is in only the early stages.