Art meets science: See the first detailed illustration of an ancient deep-sea mountain

Scientists have mapped a deep-sea mountain in the Pacific Ocean for the first time.

They used data from a remotely-operated vehicle to map the top down to 1,500 meters ( 4,921 feet ) deep.

They then used an artistic rendering in the style of Alexander von Humboldt , who was one of the first to depict complex natural systems artistically.

The Brink spoke with the scientists to learn all about the newly documented seamount and its biodiversity.

The summit of the seamount reaches the mesophotic zone, meaning that it receives enough light for photosynthesis to occur.

It's relatively symmetrical, and exists in some really complex equatorial current structures.

Studying oxygen minimum zones is important because climate change is going to have a major effect on oxygen distribution.

Seamounts that host photosynthetic communities but don't break the surface are very rare globally.

Kennedy : We need to think about individual seamounts as much more complex entities than we have done previously.

There has been historic bipartisan support for protecting these special, yet vulnerable, places.