The discovery was made 1,600 feet below the surface.
Scientists have good news with regards to Antarctica. A secret ecosystem
has been thriving under the icy surface and the discovery was recently made.
Researchers have found this "hidden world" beneath the Larsen Ice
Shelf. Footage reveals a dark cavern-like space filled with swarms of tiny,
shrimp-like creatures. The Larsen Ice Shelf is a massive sheet of ice floating
while being attached to the eastern coast of the Antarctic peninsula. Satellite
images reveal that the unusual groove where this ecosystem has been found is a
subsurface river.
In order to discover this hidden ecosystem, the research
team drilled down almost 1,640 feet (500 meters) below the ice's surface. For
this drilling, they used a powerful hot-water hose to reach the underground
chamber. When a camera was sent down this drilled tunnel, it captured
footage of several tiny, blurry flecks in the water. These swimming flecks
weren't any camera glitch. Instead, these were tiny crustaceans known as
amphipods, which the researchers did not expect so much below the surface.
Craig Stevens, a physical oceanographer at the National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Auckland, New Zealand, said,
“Having all those animals swimming around our camera means there's clearly an
important ecosystem process happening there.”
Researchers were also surprised by the interior
space in which this ecosystem was found. They had expected a smooth and flat
roof. But the roof was very uneven and had lots of undulations."It looked
like a loaf of bread, with a bulge at the top and narrow slope at the
bottom," Stevens added.
Researchers have also unexpectedly stumbled upon a
unique feature of the water column. The underground water split into four or
five distinct layers flowing in opposite directions. "This changes our
current understanding and models of these environments," Stevens
said. He added, ”We're going to have our work cut out understanding what
this means.”
Scientists suggest that they will continue to study the newfound subsurface ecosystem. They will also try to find how nutrients circulate through Antarctica's underground water networks.