Scientists have discovered a “thriving ecosystem” of strange deep sea creatures on a newly exposed seafloor after an iceberg broke off near the Antarctic.
The area, which had never before been accessible to humans, is home to giant corals and sponges which support a myriad of life forms including giant sea spiders, octopuses, and icefish, researchers from the Schmidt Ocean Institute say.
The latest finding at depths as great as 1,300m below the sea surface offers fresh insights into how ecosystems function beneath floating sections of the Antarctic ice sheet.
Until now, very little is known about creatures living beneath Antarctica’s floating ice shelves.
A previous British survey in 2021 first reported signs of bottom-dwelling life forms beneath the Antarctic’s Filchner-Ronne ice shelf.
It found a rich biodiversity hosting hints of several new species unknown to science.
Deep-sea ecosystems typically rely on nutrients trickling from the surface slowly down to the seafloor.
But it remains unclear how Antarctic ecosystems, covered by 150-metre-thick (almost 500ft) ice for centuries, host thriving ecosystems when they are completely cut off from surface nutrients.
In the latest survey, the ice that calved was about 510sqkm (209sqm), revealing an equivalent area of the seafloor.
This section of the seafloor has been home to an ecosystem of diverse creatures likely for centuries, scientists say.
One of the images released by the Schmidt Ocean Institute shows a “helmet jellyfish” which can be seen drifting with “tentacles splayed”.
“We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below,” study co-chief scientist Patricia Esquete said.
“We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years,” Dr Esquete said.
Researchers suspect ocean currents may be carrying nutrients to these areas of the seafloor and sustaining life beneath the ice sheet.
However, the precise mechanism fuelling these ecosystems remains a mystery.
“Our work is critical for providing longer-term context of these recent changes, improving our ability to make projections of future change – projections that can inform actionable policies,” said Sasha Montelli expedition co-chief scientist from the University College London (UCL).
“We will undoubtedly make discoveries as we continue to analyze this vital data,” the UCL scientist said.