2026 marks the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Challenger expedition, during which the Mariana Trench was discovered, and the beginning of the modern science of oceanography, which studies life on the ocean floor.

This calendar is a deep-sea adventure. With each passing month, you will descend deeper into the Mariana Trench and learn more about its levels
and life on them.

The twelve levels of the Mariana Trench:

01 The Sun Gate: The most «lively» and «noisy» layer. Here, solar energy triggers processes that are the starting point for the entire food chain of the Mariana Trench. This is the maximum level of biodiversity

02 Twilight Threshold: Bioluminescence is replacing sunlight. This layer serves as a critically important transport corridor for the vertical migration of living organisms and «sea snow» — organic particles that feed the layers below

03 Kingdom of Shadows: Instead of sunlight, bioluminescence becomes the main source of illumination. Life here exists thanks to organic particles falling from the upper layers. In this layer, the pressure reaches enormous values, forcing organisms to adapt

04 The World of Giants: It’s getting harder to get food at depth, so the creatures adapt: Giant isopod cancer is able to go without food for several years. Here you can also find jellyfish-like Giant siphonophores, the length of which can reach the length of a blue whale

05 Glass Gardens: This layer is inhabited by creatures with completely transparent bodies, through which internal organs shine through. They are mostly small jellyfish and sponges shaped like spaceships with glowing neon lights

06 Desert plain: Unlike the previous layers, the vertical migration of organisms completely stops here and all creatures are tied to the bottom. Although few can survive under such pressure, there are unique species of shrimp, sharks, fish and sea cucumbers

07 Tablets of Memory: Going down is becoming more and more dangerous for the bathyscaphes. The pressure reaches 600 atmospheres, deforming the hulls of underwater vehicles. The bottom of the layer is covered with a special silt, which creates the effect of gypsum, imprinting traces of organisms over the past centuries

08 Hydrothermal oases: Islands of warmth appear in the midst of the icy desert. Hydrothermal vents create unique conditions for life independent of sunlight. Communities of organisms based on chemosynthesis are formed around them

09 The Abode of Sleep: The inhabitants of the layer are creatures that have learned to exist in a state close to suspended animation, capable of waiting for food for decades and slowing down their metabolism. Here you can find Ctenophores, similar to jellyfish, which have existed for 500 million years

10 Underwater Everest: Many organisms here have special enzymes that prevent the destruction of cell membranes and proteins under tremendous pressure, acting like struts in a tent. The depth of this level is often compared to the height of Mount Everest

11 The Cradle of Chemos: There is life near the very bottom of the Trench it exists only through chemosynthesis. Communities of organisms are formed by chemosynthetic bacteria capable of obtaining energy from reactions between seawater and rocks

12 The bottom of the abyss: In 1960, the controlled Trieste spacecraft reached the bottom of the Trench, which later became known as the Challenger Abyss. But even when they were at a depth of 10 919 meters, the researchers claimed to have seen living organisms in the window of the bathyscaphe