A spectacular Antarctic Ocean creature discovered after the iceberg broke
The birth iceberg exposed areas that have never been seen before and revealed a vibrant and prosperous ecosystem
Large sponges, anemone herds and other life are found in a submarine area covered with George VI ice shelf in Antarctica, nearly 230 meters deep. Sponges can grow very slowly and sometimes less than 2 centimeters a year, so the size of this specimen suggests that this community has been active for decades, perhaps hundreds of years.
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
HP Lovecraft’s calm science fiction Novella In the crazy mountains, A group of researchers are uncovering the ruins of an ancient alien civilization as they explore under the Antarctic. Now, the real team is investigating what is under some of the floating ice on the frozen continent, and their discoveries are certainly another world.
Scientists on a research vessel at the Schmidt Ocean Institute Folcole (too) We headed towards Antarctica to study the nearby seabed, the creatures that live there, and how climate change affects Antarctica’s ice and the ecosystems that evolved around it. However, their plans were driven to a side street on January 13th after Chicago-sized Chicago left an ice shelf near the Bellinghausen Sea.
Before the ice, an iceberg was left where weeped in the Bellingshausen Sea.
Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute
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The event presented a great opportunity to escape. An opportunity to explore the seabed below the original location of the iceberg. “There was a sense of being completely in the unknown,” says Sasha Monteri, co-leading scientist at the University of London. “We thought we might see some kind of life there, but it was really amazing to see the extent to which life flourishes in such an adversarial environment. And while it wasn’t just there, it obviously lasted for a very long time.”
Researchers sent the underwater robot Aya-shift deep into the deep, finding an ecosystem filled with anemones that look like Dr. Seuss’ truffle tree. Some of the new creatures may only be found near Antarctica. Not only are they far apart, but the continent has been isolated for millions of years by the extreme currents of the Antarctic that surrounds it like a moat around a castle.
The octopus is located on the seabed at a depth of 1150 meters in the Bellingshausen Sea.
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Isolated hydro-drift tentacles at a depth of 360 meters in an area on the seabed that was covered with George VI ice shelf. Solitary hydroelectric power is associated with corals, jellyfish and anemones, but does not form colonies.
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
“The Bellingshausen Sea has not been much explored in terms of deep-sea biodiversity, so we are looking forward to many new species from the expedition. In fact, we have already seen some, including snails, polychaett worms, crustaceans, fish.”
Researchers also encountered a large Vassel-like sponge whose size suggests age. “Based on the size of the animal, the communities we observed have been there for decades, perhaps hundreds of years,” Escute said. Recent Press Releases.
The observations draw sharp contrasts with previous studies of ecology beneath ice, occurring for years after the camera was dropped from a hole that had been drilled into the ice, or the iceberg was reduced. “These studies have shown that ecosystems appear to be extremely poor in a limited number of species,” Eskete said. “Now we know that the newly exposed area could be explored after iceberg researchers had absorbed it at least the first 15km from the front.”
The squid eats fish at a depth of approximately 950 meters in the Bellingshausen Sea.
ROV Subastian/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Patricia Esquete examines suspect new species of isopods sampled from the bottom of the Bellingshausen sea. It takes scientists years to explain all the new species found during this expedition.
Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute
Now that the iceberg has broken, it is not very certain how this vibrant ecosystem will be carried. Many deep-sea residents are very sensitive to small environmental changes as they adapt to the constant conditions seen in the environment. For life forms discovered in Bellingshausen Sea, the dramatic loss of previous iceberg ceilings can shake the ecosystem.
Montelli says the floating ice shelf, with its broken iceberg, has retreated inland for about 25 miles (40 km) over the past 50 years. “The loss of ice from the Antarctic ice sheet is a major contributor to sea level rise all over the world,” Monteri said in a recent press release. “Our work is important to provide a long-term context for these recent changes and to improve our ability to predict future changes.”
