Below the Antarctic ice shelves lies a harsh environment.
The Earth’s climate is extreme cold, dark and devoid of food. However, there are some resilient and determined creatures found all around the planet.
However, scientists discovered 77 species there and also evidence that the ‘oasis’ of life dates back to 6,000 years.
German researchers discovered unusual worms as well as moss-shaped moss creatures in the group.
Using hot water, the team from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) drilled two holes through nearly 656ft (200 metres) of the Ekström Ice Shelf near Neumayer Station III in the South Eastern Weddell Sea in 2018.
Discovery: Scientists recovered 77 species living beneath Antarctica’s Ekström Ice Shelf, including sabre-shaped bryozoans (pictured) such as Melicerita obliqua and serpulid worms
Even though they lived several miles away from open ocean, the diversity of the species that they collected was extraordinary.
Richer, in fact, than many open water samples found on the continental shelf where there is light and food sources.
Researchers said that the fragments of seabed life they found were remarkable and totally unexpected.
They discovered 77 species — including sabre-shaped bryozoans (moss animals) such as Melicerita obliqua and serpulid worms such as Paralaeospira sicula.
British Antarctic Survey marine biologist Dr David Barnes was the lead author. He said, “This surprise discovery that so many life forms exist in such extreme environments is amazing and it reminds us of how Antarctic marine life can be so special and unique.”
“It’s incredible that we discovered evidence of so many animal species, and most feed on microalgae (“phytoplankton”) yet there are no plants or algae in this environment.
“So, the main question is: How do these animals thrive and survive here?”
Team members concluded that enough algae must have been found under the ice shelf to provide food for strong web.
The microscopy of specimens showed surprising results. They grew at a similar rate to animals living in open Antarctic shelf habitats.
Dr. Gerhard Kuhn (AWI), co-author, stated that he was surprised at how long the life span of this area.
“Carbon dating for dead pieces of this seafloor animal varied from current to 5.800 years.
“So even though you live 3-9km from open water (1.8-5 miles), an oasis of living may have been there for almost 6,000 years.
Using hot water, the Alfred Wegener Institute team drilled two holes through nearly 656ft of the Ekström Ice Shelf near Neumayer Station III in the South Eastern Weddell Sea in 2018
“Samples from the ocean floor below the floating Ice Shelf will only tell us about the past of the shelf’, says Dr.
Ice shelves, which cover nearly 610,000 square miles (1.66 million km2) of land area, are one of the most mysterious environments on Earth.
These dark habitats, which are minus 2.2° Celsius (28 Fahrenheit), cold and quiet have been captured by cameras but were rarely taken.
According to current theories, all living things can survive below ice shelves.
Studies in the past have shown that there are some mobile predators and scavengers (e.g. jellyfish, fish, worms) within these habitats.
But filter feeding organisms – which depend on a supply of food from above – were expected to be amongst the first to disappear further under the ice.
The researchers also stated that climate change is threatening these ecosystems, and this could be due to the imminent collapse of these ice shelf.
Current Biology has published the results of this study.