A ‘Chicago-Sized’ Iceberg Just Broke Off Antarctica — and Scientists Were Blown Away by What They Found Underneath it
Some discoveries happen by chance but end up giving more insights than several carefully designed pursuits. One such finding came to the fore through a massive glacier from Antarctica, stated Science Alert. The discovery was facilitated by an international team of scientists who used an expedition vehicle named SuBastian.
An iceberg the size of Chicago was previously attached to the George VI Ice Shelf. Later, it broke away from the shelf, and at that moment, scientists were using the remotely operated underwater vehicle, SuBastian, to understand the various ecosystems of the region. "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," said expedition co-chief scientist Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Department of Biology (DBio) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. "We didn't expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem."
Scientists claimed that they found many organisms living underneath that exposed part. This hidden ecosystem supported beings like corals, hydroids, anemones, and sponges. The finding was extremely valuable because very little information is available on the beings that live on the Antarctic seabed underneath all the ice. Experts think that no sunlight or nutrients can scale that much depth, so these beings are purely surviving on the nourishment brought by ocean currents.
The scientists devoted many days to a proper analysis of this newly revealed ecosystem within the glacier. The whole region was properly mapped, and several sediment cores and samples were taken to land for examination. Researchers believe this is the first time such a comprehensive interdisciplinary study of an ecosystem is taking place in sub-ice shelf conditions.
Researchers currently do not have the required information to explain all the new species they have found in the exposed glacier and the methodology that these beings have applied to stay alive in such difficult conditions. The team, however, speculates that the ecosystem within the glacier is not a new development. "Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years," said Esquete. One of the sponges the team uncovered from the glacier was so massive that—considering the typical growth rate of this kind—it was possibly decades or centuries old.
The discovery was a fortunate event and not a premeditated action. "The science team was originally in this remote region to study the seafloor and ecosystem at the interface between ice and sea," said Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Jyotika Virmani. "Being right there when this iceberg calved from the ice shelf presented a rare scientific opportunity. Serendipitous moments are part of the excitement of research at sea – they offer the chance to be the first to witness the untouched beauty of our world."