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New Species on Antarctic Seafloor
Context:
A team of scientists has made a remarkable discovery while exploring the newly exposed seabed left behind by the A-84 iceberg, which dramatically broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf on January 13, 2025.
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- A newly calved potato-shaped iceberg(A-84) has been drifting rapidly along the Antarctic coastline, covering 250 kilometres (150 miles) in just one month.
- Measuring 510 square kilometres—roughly the size of Chicago—the iceberg’s detachment unveiled a vast and previously inaccessible underwater world, revealing astonishing biodiversity in a region previously assumed to be barren.
Key Findings and Discoveries
- The Challenger 150 Deep-Sea Research Mission: The expedition was part of Challenger 150, a UNESCO-endorsed global initiative for deep-sea research.
- Scientists used the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to conduct an 8-day exploration at depths of up to 1,300 metres. The mission included high-resolution photography, video documentation, and specimen collection.
- Discovery of New Species and Thriving Ecosystems: The researchers were surprised to find a thriving ecosystem with large corals, sponges, and various animal species.
- Key marine species discovered include: Giant sea spiders, Icefish, Octopi, A giant phantom jellyfish (which can grow up to 1 metre wide), A vase-shaped sponge, potentially hundreds of years old.
- Scientists believe they may have discovered several new species during the exploration.
- Unexpected Ecosystem Resilience: Typically, deep-sea communities rely on photosynthetic organisms from surface waters for nutrients. However, this ecosystem had been buried under 150-metre-thick ice for centuries, completely cut off from surface nutrients.
- Scientists hypothesise that ocean currents, glacial meltwater, or an unknown process could be supplying nutrients, allowing life to thrive.
Scientific Significance and Future Research
- This discovery offers new insights into how ecosystems function beneath floating ice shelves.
- It raises questions about the sustainability of deep-sea organisms in extreme conditions.
- The findings add to previous studies, including the 2021 discovery of bottom-dwelling life beneath the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf.
- Further research is needed to understand how nutrients are reaching these deep-sea ecosystems and their long-term survival mechanisms.
Climate Change and Ice Shelf Stability Concerns
- Iceberg calving is a natural process, but increasing air and ocean temperatures, along with reduced protective sea ice, can accelerate calving and even cause ice shelf collapse.
- The Antarctic Peninsula has seen multiple ice shelf collapses due to warming trends.
- Observations since the 1940s and remote sensing data indicate that the George VI Ice Shelf has been gradually retreating.
- Unlike many ice shelves, George VI has remained relatively stable because of its geographical position—sandwiched between the Antarctic Peninsula and Alexander Island.
