Scientists discovered dynamic communities of ancient sponges and corals in a newly exposed marine bed. It appeared after the detachment of the giant iceberg A-84. The hidden ecosystem under an iceberg hid secrets for science.
On January 13, 2025, this Iceberg of the size of Chicago detached from the ice platform Jorge VI. It is one of the huge floating ice platforms linked to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Secret ecosystems
An international team of the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute studied the area. It is reported by the British Antarctic Survey, who participated in the investigation. They arrived on January 25 to the newly exposed site. They are the first to investigate an area that had never been accessible to humans before. The ice that emerged had an area of 510 square kilometers. This revealed an equivalent area of marine bed.
The researchers explained the finding. «We did not expect to find such a beautiful and prosperous ecosystem. Judging by the size of the animals, the communities we observe have been there for decades there, maybe even hundreds of years ».
They used the ROV Remote Control Vehicle auction of the Schmidt Ocean Institute. They saw the deep seabed for eight days and found flourishing ecosystems at depths of up to 1,300 meters. There are large corals and sponges that house a wide variety of animal life. Ice fish, giant marine spiders and octopus.
Hidden life
Little is known about what lives under the floating ice platforms of Antarctica. In 2021, British Antarctic Survey researchers reported for the first time indications of underwater life under the Pilchner-Ronne ice platform. This is to the south of the Weddell Sea. They were surprised by the important biomass and biodiversity of ecosystems and several new species.
Deep water ecosystems usually depend on surface nutrients that slowly fall into the seabed. But the 150 -meter thick ice for centuries covers them. Oceanic currents also transport nutrients, support life under the ice layer. The precise mechanism that feeds these ecosystems is not yet understood. The hidden ecosystem under an iceberg is just a fragment of life that is not yet known under ice.
