Latest news with #A-84
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice
When an iceberg the size of Chicago broke off from one of Antarctica's massive floating glaciers in January, a team of scientists working nearby quickly pivoted, steering their ship to explore the newly-revealed seafloor. What they found surprised and amazed them. 'We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years," said Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and the Department of Biology at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She was part of an international team of scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute working in the Bellingshausen Sea. When they got word that a new iceberg, named A-84, had broken off, they shifted their work to see what was revealed on a seabed that had been covered by almost 500 feet of ice for centuries. Less than two weeks later, they were in place and began using autonomous underwater vehicles called gliders to quickly inventory what proved to be a thriving ecosystem that had lived for hundreds of years with no light and few nutrients. 'We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below,' said Esquete. Douglas McCauley, a professor of ocean science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was impressed the research team was flexible enough to divert course to take those observations. "Some of the best discoveries come when disciplined scientists that have spent years planning every minute of a cruise years in advance are brave enough to go: 'OMG a gigantic iceberg just calved off – let go see what was under that!'" he said. It proved to be a fortuitous diversion of their ship, R/V Falkor (Too). In water as much as 4,200 feet deep the team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute found a surprisingly flourishing ecosystem that included icefish, giant sea spiders, octopus, corals and sponges. They suspect they've found several new species, but determining that will take time. Such opportunities to see what lives in these areas are rare, said Andrew Thurber, a professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara who specializes in Antarctic research. With the advent of remote submersible robots it shouldn't be hard to work under significant ice, he said, but it remains a serious technological challenge for marine science. It's not just "Send a robot under the ice and it comes back with cool data," he said. "In reality, they often have issues and with hundreds of meters of ice over their head – the odds of getting home become bleak." One of the mysteries of the discovery is what these sea creatures have been eating. Close to a mile down, with a 500-foot layer of ice between them and the sun for centuries, there's not a lot of choice when it comes to dinner. "These communities are very far removed from the sun and this source of energy," said Thurber. In the deepest depths of the ocean, sea inhabitants rely on a constant rain of nutrients that slowly sinks down from the surface. Called "marine snow," it's composed of dead animals, plants, feces and other organic materials. The name comes from the fact that it looks like "little white fluffy bits" slowly falling through the water column, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. But the newly-uncovered area has been covered by ice for centuries, cut off from surface nutrients. The discovery of so much life – and such big life – was unanticipated, said Thurber. "We would expect there to be an animal community that is more like what is in the deep-deep sea, which is smaller animals and incredible diversity but not large animals except in unique cases," he said. Instead there were large invertebrates. "That is why this is such a surprising discovery," he said. The scientists hypothesize that ocean currents are moving nutrients around and that the currents are possibly the mechanism that sustains life beneath the ice sheet, though how that works precisely isn't yet known. The iceberg, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula. Ice shelves are permanent floating sheets of ice that connect to a landmass, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Such ice shelves are an important part of the earth's cryosphere. The breaking off of this huge iceberg is an example of the ongoing shrinkage happening at the earth's poles over the past few decades as part of climate change. This raises a question of what to do with the newly-opened areas. "Open seafloor can either be an area to expand industry but also opens up pristine habitats with unknown biodiversity, potential for drug discovery, and often long lived species that are susceptible to human activities," said Thurber. Should the areas be turned into marine conservation areas or exploited, most likely for fishing? "I think that is something that we, as a global collaborative community charged with management of the Antarctic, are faced with in light of our rapidly changing globe," he said. One of the biggest questions for the scientists is whether the sea creatures that had been happily living in an ecosystem covered by ice will fare now that the ice is gone. "Some of them can move. Some of them, though, are embedded in that seabed. So they're anchored in place and they of course, will not be able to move," said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "Until we go back or until scientists go back in a few months or a year, it's really difficult to say how this ecosystem is going to evolve," she said. "But the the fact that we have this baseline information is phenomenal." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iceberg breaks off from Antarctica, reveals flourishing life
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice
When an iceberg the size of Chicago broke off from one of Antarctica's massive floating glaciers in January, a team of scientists working nearby quickly pivoted, steering their ship to explore the newly-revealed seafloor. What they found surprised and amazed them. 'We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years," said Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and the Department of Biology at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She was part of an international team of scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute working in the Bellingshausen Sea. When they got word that a new iceberg, named A-84, had broken off, they shifted their work to see what was revealed on a seabed that had been covered by almost 500 feet of ice for centuries. Less than two weeks later, they were in place and began using autonomous underwater vehicles called gliders to quickly inventory what proved to be a thriving ecosystem that had lived for hundreds of years with no light and few nutrients. 'We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below,' said Esquete. Douglas McCauley, a professor of ocean science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was impressed the research team was flexible enough to divert course to take those observations. "Some of the best discoveries come when disciplined scientists that have spent years planning every minute of a cruise years in advance are brave enough to go: 'OMG a gigantic iceberg just calved off – let go see what was under that!'" he said. It proved to be a fortuitous diversion of their ship, R/V Falkor (Too). In water as much as 4,200 feet deep the team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute found a surprisingly flourishing ecosystem that included icefish, giant sea spiders, octopus, corals and sponges. They suspect they've found several new species, but determining that will take time. Such opportunities to see what lives in these areas are rare, said Andrew Thurber, a professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara who specializes in Antarctic research. With the advent of remote submersible robots it shouldn't be hard to work under significant ice, he said, but it remains a serious technological challenge for marine science. It's not just "Send a robot under the ice and it comes back with cool data," he said. "In reality, they often have issues and with hundreds of meters of ice over their head – the odds of getting home become bleak." One of the mysteries of the discovery is what these sea creatures have been eating. Close to a mile down, with a 500-foot layer of ice between them and the sun for centuries, there's not a lot of choice when it comes to dinner. "These communities are very far removed from the sun and this source of energy," said Thurber. In the deepest depths of the ocean, sea inhabitants rely on a constant rain of nutrients that slowly sinks down from the surface. Called "marine snow," it's composed of dead animals, plants, feces and other organic materials. The name comes from the fact that it looks like "little white fluffy bits" slowly falling through the water column, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. But the newly-uncovered area has been covered by ice for centuries, cut off from surface nutrients. The discovery of so much life – and such big life – was unanticipated, said Thurber. "We would expect there to be an animal community that is more like what is in the deep-deep sea, which is smaller animals and incredible diversity but not large animals except in unique cases," he said. Instead there were large invertebrates. "That is why this is such a surprising discovery," he said. The scientists hypothesize that ocean currents are moving nutrients around and that the currents are possibly the mechanism that sustains life beneath the ice sheet, though how that works precisely isn't yet known. The iceberg, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula. Ice shelves are permanent floating sheets of ice that connect to a landmass, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Such ice shelves are an important part of the earth's cryosphere. The breaking off of this huge iceberg is an example of the ongoing shrinkage happening at the earth's poles over the past few decades as part of climate change. This raises a question of what to do with the newly-opened areas. "Open seafloor can either be an area to expand industry but also opens up pristine habitats with unknown biodiversity, potential for drug discovery, and often long lived species that are susceptible to human activities," said Thurber. Should the areas be turned into marine conservation areas or exploited, most likely for fishing? "I think that is something that we, as a global collaborative community charged with management of the Antarctic, are faced with in light of our rapidly changing globe," he said. One of the biggest questions for the scientists is whether the sea creatures that had been happily living in an ecosystem covered by ice will fare now that the ice is gone. "Some of them can move. Some of them, though, are embedded in that seabed. So they're anchored in place and they of course, will not be able to move," said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "Until we go back or until scientists go back in a few months or a year, it's really difficult to say how this ecosystem is going to evolve," she said. "But the the fact that we have this baseline information is phenomenal." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iceberg breaks off from Antarctica, reveals flourishing life
USA Today
13-04-2025
- Science
- USA Today
A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice
A surprising lesson from Antarctica: Life flourishes even under 500 feet of ice Scientists found "a beautiful, thriving ecosystem" in a dark and isolated location: The former shadow of a glacier. Show Caption Hide Caption Giant iceberg in Antartica houses flourishing ecosystem A team of scientists discovered a beautiful, thriving ecosystem under an iceberg in Antartica, and they suspect it includes several new species. When an iceberg the size of Chicago broke off from one of Antarctica's massive floating glaciers in January, a team of scientists working nearby quickly pivoted, steering their ship to explore the newly-revealed seafloor. What they found surprised and amazed them. 'We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years," said Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies and the Department of Biology at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. She was part of an international team of scientists from the Schmidt Ocean Institute working in the Bellingshausen Sea. When they got word that a new iceberg, named A-84, had broken off, they shifted their work to see what was revealed on a seabed that had been covered by almost 500 feet of ice for centuries. Less than two weeks later, they were in place and began using autonomous underwater vehicles called gliders to quickly inventory what proved to be a thriving ecosystem that had lived for hundreds of years with no light and few nutrients. 'We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below,' said Esquete. Douglas McCauley, a professor of ocean science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was impressed the research team was flexible enough to divert course to take those observations. "Some of the best discoveries come when disciplined scientists that have spent years planning every minute of a cruise years in advance are brave enough to go: 'OMG a gigantic iceberg just calved off – let go see what was under that!'" he said. It proved to be a fortuitous diversion of their ship, R/V Falkor (Too). In water as much as 4,200 feet deep the team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute found a surprisingly flourishing ecosystem that included icefish, giant sea spiders, octopus, corals and sponges. They suspect they've found several new species, but determining that will take time. Such opportunities to see what lives in these areas are rare, said Andrew Thurber, a professor of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology at UC Santa Barbara who specializes in Antarctic research. With the advent of remote submersible robots it shouldn't be hard to work under significant ice, he said, but it remains a serious technological challenge for marine science. It's not just "Send a robot under the ice and it comes back with cool data," he said. "In reality, they often have issues and with hundreds of meters of ice over their head – the odds of getting home become bleak." What are these sea creatures eating under the ice? One of the mysteries of the discovery is what these sea creatures have been eating. Close to a mile down, with a 500-foot layer of ice between them and the sun for centuries, there's not a lot of choice when it comes to dinner. "These communities are very far removed from the sun and this source of energy," said Thurber. In the deepest depths of the ocean, sea inhabitants rely on a constant rain of nutrients that slowly sinks down from the surface. Called "marine snow," it's composed of dead animals, plants, feces and other organic materials. The name comes from the fact that it looks like "little white fluffy bits" slowly falling through the water column, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. But the newly-uncovered area has been covered by ice for centuries, cut off from surface nutrients. The discovery of so much life – and such big life – was unanticipated, said Thurber. "We would expect there to be an animal community that is more like what is in the deep-deep sea, which is smaller animals and incredible diversity but not large animals except in unique cases," he said. Instead there were large invertebrates. "That is why this is such a surprising discovery," he said. The scientists hypothesize that ocean currents are moving nutrients around and that the currents are possibly the mechanism that sustains life beneath the ice sheet, though how that works precisely isn't yet known. Where did this iceberg come from? The iceberg, named A-84, broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf, one of the massive floating glaciers attached to the Antarctic Peninsula. Ice shelves are permanent floating sheets of ice that connect to a landmass, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. Such ice shelves are an important part of the earth's cryosphere. The breaking off of this huge iceberg is an example of the ongoing shrinkage happening at the earth's poles over the past few decades as part of climate change. What can we learn by listening to icebergs? Iceberg formation, movement and melting offer insights into some of the most extreme areas of the cryosphere. This raises a question of what to do with the newly-opened areas. "Open seafloor can either be an area to expand industry but also opens up pristine habitats with unknown biodiversity, potential for drug discovery, and often long lived species that are susceptible to human activities," said Thurber. Should the areas be turned into marine conservation areas or exploited, most likely for fishing? "I think that is something that we, as a global collaborative community charged with management of the Antarctic, are faced with in light of our rapidly changing globe," he said. Can these mysterious creatures survive in open ocean? One of the biggest questions for the scientists is whether the sea creatures that had been happily living in an ecosystem covered by ice will fare now that the ice is gone. "Some of them can move. Some of them, though, are embedded in that seabed. So they're anchored in place and they of course, will not be able to move," said Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "Until we go back or until scientists go back in a few months or a year, it's really difficult to say how this ecosystem is going to evolve," she said. "But the the fact that we have this baseline information is phenomenal."
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem': Hidden world of life discovered beneath Antarctic iceberg
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A gigantic iceberg that broke off of an Antarctic glacier has revealed a thriving never-before-seen ecosystem in the depths beneath. The iceberg A-84, which is roughly the size of Chicago, calved from Antarctica's George VI Ice Shelf on Jan. 13, 2025. After receiving news of the iceberg's movement from satellite imagery, scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor quickly hurried to the site. Just 12 days later, they arrived to find a never-before-seen ecosystem filled with giant sponges, fish, enormous sea spiders and octopuses exposed to the open air for the first time. "We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below," expedition co-chief scientist Patricia Esquete, a marine biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, said in a statement. "We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years." What lies beneath Antarctica's roughly 500 feet (150 meters) of ice is scarcely known, but scientists have suspected that it is filled with a gigantic network of rivers, lakes and estuaries. Yet it wasn't until very recently that scientists discovered that this hidden underworld harbored life. Related: Scientists create new map showing ice-free Antarctica in more detail than ever before Without sunlight or nutrients raining down from above, this life is likely sustained by deep-sea ocean currents that slip beneath the surface of the shelf, although scientists are unsure if this is the only mechanism at play. RELATED STORIES —Ocean's 'heart' is slowing down — and it will affect the entire planet's circulation —Massive Antarctic icebergs' split from glaciers may be unrelated to climate change —When was the last time Antarctica was ice-free? To investigate the once-hidden biome, the scientists deployed a remotely operated submarine (named SuBastian), which — due to the thick ice blocking off GPS signals — navigated using sound waves to arrive at the ocean floor. Once there, the submarine collected biological and geological samples from among the region's coral and sea sponges. Some of these creatures' enormous sizes suggested they'd been growing for centuries. The researchers also deployed other autonomous vehicles to study how meltwater is affecting the region. "The science team was originally in this remote region to study the seafloor and ecosystem at the interface between ice and sea," Jyotika Virmani, executive director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, said in the statement. "Being right there when this iceberg calved from the ice shelf presented a rare scientific opportunity. Serendipitous moments are part of the excitement of research at sea — they offer the chance to be the first to witness the untouched beauty of our world."
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Antarctic iceberg the size of Chicago breaks off, reveals thriving undersea ecosystem
An iceberg the size of Chicago that broke off of an Antarctic ice shelf has revealed a thriving ecosystem beneath it, according to researchers. On Jan. 13, the iceberg, named A-84, broke off from the George VI Ice Shelf, a massive floating glacier attached to the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet, according to the Schmidt Ocean Institute. The seafloor beneath, previously covered by 209 square miles of ice, had never before been accessible to humans. A team of researchers aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor (too) oceanographic research vessel were working in the Bellingshausen Sea, on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, but dropped everything to make their way to the ice shelf. The pivot was described as a "serendipitous moment' by Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Jyotika Virmani. "We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below," said Patricia Esquete, expedition co-chief scientist and biology researcher at the Centre of Marine and Environmental Studies, based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. MORE: Exhibition of photos taken in the Galapagos and Antarctica by former fashion photographer on display in New York The team arrived at the site on Jan. 25 and observed the seafloor for eight days with the help of a remotely operated vehicle named SuBastian, which dove nearly a quarter mile to gather data on the geology, physical oceanography and biology of the never-before-explored underwater terrain. Unexpectedly, they found a "beautiful, thriving ecosystem," Esquete said. The significant biomass and biodiversity of the ecosystems surprised the researchers, especially since deep-sea ecosystems typically rely on nutrients from the surface that slowly trickle down to the seafloor – an unlikely occurrence when the sea surface is covered by 500-foot-thick ice. The marine scientists hypothesize that ocean currents may be responsible for moving life-sustaining nutrients to the ecosystem. MORE: Scientists have discovered an ancient river landscape hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet The species detected in the previously unknown ecosystem include large corals and sponges supporting a plethora of marine life, including icefish, giant sea spiders and octopuses, with several previously undiscovered species likely among them, the researchers said. Based on the size of the animals, the communities have likely lived in that spot for decades, even hundreds of years, Esquete said. Little is known about the seafloor beneath the floating ice shelves in Antarctica, according to the institute. MORE: Scientists have discovered an ancient river landscape hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet Over the last few decades, global warming has caused the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet to shrink and lose mass, the researchers said. Satellite images released by NASA show the progression of the iceberg's break from the George IV Ice Shelf from January through February 2025. Antarctica is also home to the Thwaites Glacier, also known as the "Doomsday Glacier" due to its potential to contribute to severe global sea level rise, should it continue to melt. "The ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a major contributor to sea level rise worldwide," said expedition co-chief scientist Sasha Montelli, a researcher at University College London. MORE: It may be too late to prevent significant melting on West Antarctic ice shelf that includes 'Doomsday Glacier': Study The newly exposed seafloor allowed an international team of scientists to gather critical data about the past behavior of the larger Antarctic ice sheet. Autonomous underwater vehicles called gliders were also deployed to study the impacts of glacial meltwater on the physical and chemical properties of the region. Preliminary data shows a strong meltwater flow from the George IV Ice Shelf, according to the institute. "Our work is critical for providing longer-term context of these recent changes, improving our ability to make projections of future change – projections that can inform actionable policies. We will undoubtedly make new discoveries as we continue to analyze this vital data," Montelli said. Antarctic iceberg the size of Chicago breaks off, reveals thriving undersea ecosystem originally appeared on
