Back in January, a gigantic iceberg roughly the size of Chicago broke off from an Antarctic glacier along the George VI ice shelf. It revealed a thriving ecosystem that had been hidden away for centuries.
An international team of researchers swarmed the site. Well, they didn’t swarm the site as much as their remotely operated vehicles did. Using these ROVs, the scientists discovered a treasure trove of life forms—anemones, hydroids, corals, and sponges. Many of these species had never been observed by humans before.
“We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem,” said expedition co-chief scientist Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Department of Biology (DBio) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal.
City-Sized Chunk of Antarctica Broke Off and Revealed a New Ecosystem
This underwater ecosystem gets no sunlight and no rain. It exclusively receives its nutrients from ocean currents. The animals who call it home have likely lived there for centuries. The researchers theorize that some of the sponges, for instance, could be hundreds of years old and only grow a few centimeters every year.
This thriving frigid ecosystem suggests that under the right conditions, organisms can live and thrive in areas researchers previously considered inhospitable. The old Jurassic Park adage of “life finds a way” seems particularly appropriate here.
Research teams were originally going to travel further out into the Bellingshausen Sea along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. When this gigantic iceberg broke off the George VI shelf, research vessels were diverted to seize this rare opportunity.
“When this large iceberg calved right as we were working next door, it presented an enticing opportunity because you cannot predict this calving and subsequent drifting with accuracy. We were immensely fortunate to be able to sample and produce a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of the environments that exist underneath an ice shelf,” said Dr. Aleksandr Montelli, co-leader of the expedition.
The post New Ecosystem Discovered After City-Sized Chunk of Antarctica Broke Off appeared first on VICE.
