Massive iceberg breakaway exposes undiscovered creatures beneath Antarctic waters
The event revealed a seabed that had been hidden from sunlight for decades, offering researchers aboard the vessel Falkor (too) a rare opportunity to explore uncharted deep-sea ecosystems.
Led by Patricia Esquete, a researcher at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, the expedition team had modest expectations.
'It's the kind of event that when it happens, you leave whatever you're doing,' Esquete said.
Given the thick ice cover, scientists doubted that much life could thrive in such an extreme environment.
However, the seabed under the A-84 iceberg was teeming with biodiversity. The researchers estimate they may identify dozens of new species from the expedition.
'We were really surprised and amazed by the diverse and rich ecosystems we found down there,' Esquete said.
The discovery, which was announced on Thursday, is crucial for understanding how deep-sea life may change on a warming planet, researchers said.
Explorers discovered dozens of creatures, including crustaceans, snails, worms, and fish, under and around a massive Antarctic ice shelf.
Over the course of nearly a month, researchers used a remotely operated vehicle to capture photos, record video, and collect specimens from some of Antarctica's deepest waters.
The team also surveyed parts of the remote Bellingshausen Sea, beyond the ice sheet. Among the species that may be new to science are crustaceans, sea snails, worms, and fish.
Confirming the discovery of new species will require months of detailed lab analysis, the researchers said.
'Most of the work starts now,' Esquete said.
Since the beginning of an expedition off the coast of Chile last year, scientists from the Schmidt Ocean have identified more than 70 new species, including squat lobsters and marine snails, which were previously unknown to humankind.
Scientists have been working to unravel the mystery of how life thrives beneath thick Antarctic ice.
In most oceans, photosynthetic organisms supply nutrients by drifting down to sustain seafloor creatures. However, beneath the dark Antarctic ice, no such process occurs. Instead, researchers believe ocean currents, glacial meltwater, or another unknown factor may be providing the nourishment needed to sustain deep-sea life.
'This is all very much an area of active scientific research now because of this discovery,' Jyotika Virmani, head of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a nonprofit that facilitated the research, said.
The George VI Ice Shelf, from which the iceberg broke, has experienced significant melting in recent years, including a record-high surface melt in 2019–2020.
Unlike most ice shelves that extend over the open ocean, George VI is wedged between the Antarctic Peninsula and Alexander Island, making it more stable despite extensive melting.
Scientists believe past melt events have been driven by wind patterns bringing warm air to the surface and excessive cloud cover trapping heat.
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