A team of researchers from the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany has discovered a whopping 77 seafloor-dwelling species beneath an Antarctica ice shelf — a hint that this mysterious realm may be far more biologically rich than scientists realized.Dec 29, 2021
What is underneath Antarctica ice?
Underneath Antarctica's vast ice sheets there's a network of rivers and lakes. This is possible because of the insulating blanket of ice above, the flow of heat from within the Earth, and the small amount of heat generated as the ice deforms.
Is there land under the ice in Antarctica?
One of these terra incognita is the land beneath Antarctica's ice sheets. Buried under kilometres of ice is a fascinating realm of canyons, waterways and lakes, which is only now being mapped in detail. There are more than 400 known lakes in this harsh environment, and more are being discovered as technology advances.
What are they finding in Antarctica?
The researchers suspect they are eating algae carried beneath the ice shelf by currents. “This discovery of so much life living in these extreme conditions is a complete surprise and reminds us how Antarctic marine life is so unique and special,” lead study author David Barnes said in a press release.
What did Antarctica look like before ice?
Like Alaska's mighty Yukon, a broad river once flowed across Antarctica, following a gentle valley shaped by tectonic forces at a time before the continent became encased in ice.
Does Antarctica have Covid?
The first case was discovered Dec. 14 among a group that arrived a week earlier in Antarctica, Le Soir reported. The first three people to test positive evacuated Dec. 23, Le Soir said, but the virus continued to spread among the remaining workers at the base.
Do spiders exist in Antarctica?
Many invertebrates on the subantarctic islands can live in subzero temperatures without freezing, whereas those on the mainland can survive being frozen. Mites and springtails make up most terrestrial arthropod species, although various spiders, beetles, and flies can be found.
What was found in Antarctica 2021?
The team discovered 77 species — including sabre-shaped bryozoans (moss animals) and serpulid worms — more than the total number previously known from all the frozen continent's ice shelves. The team concludes that there must be enough algae carried under the ice shelf from open water to fuel a strong food web.
What creature was found in Antarctica?
Geologists taking sediment cores from the seafloor beneath the giant Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf on the southern edge of Antarctica's Weddell Sea discovered what biologists believe are types of sponge. The finding was published Monday in Frontiers in Marine Science.
What dinosaurs were discovered in Antarctica?
Animal fossils Dinosaurs lived in Antarctica and are well known from the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, although few have been described formally. They include ankylosaurs (the armoured dinosaurs), mosasaurs and plesiosaurs (both marine reptilian groups).