NonilexMar 20

In Good News / Bad News ?

A huge #iceberg broke off #Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.

Crustaceans, snails, worms & fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic #IceShelf.

#science #discovery #research #climate #ClimateChange
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/20/huge-iceberg-broke-off-antarctica-what-scientists-found-under-it-startled-them/

A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them.

Crustaceans, snails, worms and fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic ice shelf.

The Washington Post
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Researchers were working off the coast of #Antarctica when it happened: A gigantic #iceberg about 19 miles long cracked off the #IceShelf on Jan 13, revealing a swath of #ocean that had not seen daylight in decades.

The team aboard a #research vessel called the Falkor (too) decided to search the seafloor under the freshly exposed ocean. No human had ever explored the deep sea there before.

#science #discovery #climate #ClimateChange
Mar 20 at 10:15pmWeb
Show threadNonilexMar 20

…The scientists didn’t think much life could thrive tucked under such a thick blanket of ice.

But what the team members found under the #iceberg surprised them: giant sea spiders, octopuses, ice fish, corals & sponges, including a vase-shaped one that might be hundreds of years old. In total, the researchers believe they will be able to identify dozens of #NewSpecies from the expedition.

#ocean #science #discovery #research #Antarctica #climate #ClimateChange

Show threadNonilexMar 20

The discovery, announced Thursday, not only shows how life finds a way into nearly every corner of the world — including entombed under floating glaciers — but also provides a crucial baseline for understanding how deep-sea life may change on a warming planet.

#ocean #science #discovery #research #Antarctica #climate #ClimateChange

Show threadNonilexMar 20
During the roughly month-long expedition, the researchers piloted a remotely operated vehicle to capture photos & video & collect specimens from some of the deepest reaches off #Antarctica. The team also explored areas of the remote BellingshausenSea farther from the ice sheet. Among the species potentially new to #science are crustaceans, sea snails, worms & fish.
It will take months of lab analysis to confirm the discovery of any #NewSpecies.
#ocean #discovery #research #climate #ClimateChange