Scientists carefully examined the seabed below a calving iceberg and found a series of outstanding organisms that changed ideas about how huge ice cubes affect their immediate surroundings.
Scientists investigated a submarine area that was recently exposed through a giant iceberg (A-84), which is as big as Chicago. The group discovered a surprisingly vibrant small animal community on the seabed, with A-84 once attached to an ice shelf attached to Antarctica.
“We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem,” said Patricia Esquete, a co-principal scientist for the British Antarctic Survey and a researcher at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. “The communities we observe have been around for decades, even hundreds of years depending on the size of the animal.”
Without a 197 square miles (510 square kilometers) iceberg, the team was able to double-check the seabed at a depth of 4,265 feet (1,300 meters) using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). supostian. The team found large corals and sponges that supported other life forms, including ice fish, giant sea spiders and octopus.
The scientists who discovered the discovery are part of the team at the Schmidt Marine Institute R/V Falkor (also)This is a 363-foot (111 meters) vessel that regularly reveals details of life at the bottom of the earth. The ship had previously mapped unknown areas of the seabed and even captured intimate breeding sites for octopus.
With icebergs covering the seabed, creatures under the shelf cannot survive from the surface. The team assumes that ocean currents are a key driver of life under the ice sheet. The team also collected data on the larger ice sheet, which is constantly increasing in size, for the animals living under it.
“Ice cubes caused by the Antarctic ice sheet are a major contributor to global sea level rise,” said University College London Fellow Sasha Montelli, a researcher at the University College London, in the same press release. “Our work is critical to providing a long-term context for these recent changes and improves our ability to predict future changes that can inform viable policies. There is no doubt that as we continue to analyze these important data, we will undoubtedly make new discoveries.”
Although the disappearing ice shelf is worrying, it also provides scientists with an opportunity to explore a more difficult area to enter. ROV Supastian and R/V Falkor (also) It is almost certain that new discoveries will be made in extreme environments, in which Ekes exists before the end of the journey.
