This short film explores an amazing and often forgotten world beneath our waves. Enter the magnificent mesopelagic, or twilight zone. The depths of the ocean between 200-1000m are estimated to contain up to 10 billion tonnes of fish, almost 90% of the fish biomass in our oceans.
Follow the journey of small mesopelagic organisms called micronekton, as they move upwards through the water column each night, undertaking the largest daily migration of any animals on Earth, and learn how this amazing process plays an important role in seemingly unconnected ecosystems, the global food chain and in regulating our climate.
With the emergence of new deep water fisheries, which are just beginning to exploit this previously untouched – and little-understood – ecosystem. In our changing world it is essential that we research these mysterious deep waters understand how different and seemingly spatially distant habitats link together as a large and interconnected marine ecosystem.
The animation was made as a collaboration between art and science, with the incredible artwork done by Mair Perkins, and the science by Bangor University PhD student, Beth Francis.
Add to playlist