In total, 274 new species were brought to the surface and analyzed.

Peter Garrett, Australian Environment Minister, said, "I was absolutely astonished at the variety of life forms that we've seen. You know we talk about the rainforests on land here we've got these incredible forests underwater."

The species are now being analyzed, and scientists hope they can be used to judge the impact of climate change in the future.

(CCTV October 23, 2008)