Greenpeace has used an underwater robot to stage what it says is the deepest banner protest ever made from the seabed, deploying a message 2,315 meters below the surface of the Arctic Ocean. The banner, reading "LISTEN TO THE SCIENCE!", was carried down by a remotely operated vehicle during a scientific survey of vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge.
A robot on the ocean floor
The banner was brought to 2,315 meters below sea level by the expedition's remotely operated vehicle, ROV Holly, and held up in front of a hydrothermal vent field called "Loki's Castle" — a volcanic ecosystem where black smokers emit fluid at 300 to 320 degrees Celsius from deep within the ocean crust. Scientists believe structures like these may resemble the environments where complex life on Earth first emerged.
Science from the seabed
"This marks the deepest banner protest in history, to speak for ecosystems that have no voice of their own," said Dr Sandra Schottner, chief scientist for the Deep Arctic Expedition at Greenpeace International. "World leaders have already promised to protect 30 percent of the oceans; now they must listen to the science and actually do it."
The Deep Arctic Expedition brings together scientists to explore Arctic seamounts and hydrothermal vent fields, livestreaming the work from the seabed. The deployment is the latest demonstration of how robotic platforms are reshaping ocean science, following advances such as MIT's new coding systems for underwater robots and human-machine teaming for deep-ocean exploration.
Deep-sea mining in focus
The area surveyed was opened for deep-sea mining by the Norwegian government in 2024, but those plans were halted last year following objections from environmental organisations, fishermen, scientists and opposition parties. Greenpeace warns that as the industrial frontier expands toward the deep sea, biodiversity hotspots risk irreversible disruption — a concern echoed in debates over dual-use subsea systems like the MANTIS underwater drone.
What Greenpeace wants
The group is calling on world leaders to honor global climate targets, implement the UN Ocean Treaty to protect 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030, and establish an immediate moratorium on deep-sea mining. "It is not too late to act," Schottner said. "By safeguarding these deep-sea ecosystems within a global network of ocean sanctuaries, we can create a resilient safety net for marine life."
Reporting based on coverage from Robotics & Automation News and Greenpeace International.