A team of scientists aboard a research vessel in Antarctica made an unexpected discovery when a 510-square-kilometer iceberg broke off and revealed a thriving ecosystem beneath the ice. Led by Patricia Esquete, a marine biologist at Universidade de Aveiro in Portugal, the expedition was initially restricted to a smaller area due to excessive sea ice but managed to adapt and make the most of the situation.
Upon examining satellite images, the team noticed a crack in the George VI ice shelf about 30 kilometers from their location. However, it wasn’t until a few days later that they saw the massive iceberg, A-84, break off and begin drifting along the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The team seized this opportunity to study the newly exposed seafloor, which had been covered by ice for years or possibly centuries. They found a diverse range of organisms, including corals, sponges, invertebrates, cephalopods, king crabs, and krill, as well as unknown species.
The researchers used lidar to create bathymetric maps and studied the water column and ocean currents. Their findings suggest that this ecosystem thrived under the ice due to a steady, high-level influx of nutrients. This discovery has significant implications for our understanding of deep-sea ecosystems and how they might respond to climate change.
As climate change melts Antarctic ice, this ecosystem could serve as a bellwether for changes across polar ecosystems. The findings from this expedition will be closely monitored by the oceanographic community, which is eager to learn more about the impact of warming waters on these unique environments.
Source: https://eos.org/articles/thriving-antarctic-ecosystem-revealed-by-a-departing-iceberg