A team of researchers from New Zealand and GNS Science made a groundbreaking discovery in Antarctica’s Kamb Ice Stream. Using instruments like Argo floats and radar units, they tracked the heat, salt, and energetics of the Ross Ice Shelf, located south of New Zealand.
The team was led by Craig Stevens, a physical oceanographer at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. They used satellite images to monitor the ice shelf, which revealed an unusual groove popping out of an ice plain. This discovery sparked curiosity among the researchers, who visited the Antarctic continent two years later to investigate.
Using hot water drills, they carved a meltwater tube with a circumference similar to a dinner plate and lowered a camera into it. The footage revealed an ethereal cavern, nearly half as long as Manhattan and tall enough to hold the Empire State Building. As the camera descended deeper, it captured tiny orange creatures darting and wriggling in the watery hollow.
The team was shocked by their findings, which suggested that this hidden world of organisms thrived beneath the ice. The discovery was further confirmed when they detected significant changes in the pressure of the cavern after a massive eruption of the Tongan volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai.
These incredible findings indicate that Antarctica’s ice is not as lifeless as previously thought, and that there may be more secrets hidden beneath its surface. The research partnership involved scientists from multiple universities, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in uncovering the world’s most fascinating natural wonders.
Source: https://www.greenmatters.com/pn/researchers-discover-stunning-cavern-half-the-size-of-manhattan-teeming-with-life-beneath-the-antarctic-ice