The underwater volcano Borealis Mud Volcano is located in the Barents Sea and was first discovered by researchers at UiT The Arctic University of Norway in 2023. The discovery received a lot of attention, and images of the volcano circulated around the world. Now researchers from UiT, in collaboration with REV Ocean, have finally published the results from an interdisciplinary investigation showing that Borealis mud volcano has a unique ecological role as a natural sanctuary for several marine species in the Barents Sea.
While some parts of the crater floor of Borealis appear inhospitable to a variety of organisms, the carbonate crusts – a type of mineral formed thousands of years ago – that characterized Borealis provide a suitably hard substrate for species of anemones, serpulids, demosponges, and sparse octocoral colonies.
In addition, the carbonates offer both shelter and feeding opportunities, playing an important role in sustaining the local fish populations. The researchers observed large schools of commercially valuable species like saithe and various demersal species such as spotted wolffish, cod, four-bearded rockling, and redfish (Sebastes spp.) clustering around the jagged carbonate formations.
The underwater volcano Borealis Mud Volcano was discovered in the summer of 2023. Last year, the researchers were back at the volcano. (Photo Credit: Jorn Berger-Nyvoll/UiT
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