Thriving Arctic Ecosystem Never Seen by Humans Before

A calving iceberg exposed a region that never before had been seen by human eyes, revealing a vibrant, thriving ecosystem.

Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

When you’re a scientist on an expedition and you notice a Chicago-sized iceberg breaking away nearby, you change plans to find out what’s underneath it. That’s exactly what a team from the Schmidt Ocean Institute did in Antarctica earlier this year, and they found a scene that’s in sharp contrast to what we may imagine when we think of the notoriously inhospitable continent.

“We thought we might see some life there, but it was really surprising to see the degree to which life was thriving in such a hostile environment,” the expedition’s co-chief scientist, Sasha Montelli, told Scientific American of the site, which lies over 750 feet deep in Bellingshausen Sea. “And it wasn’t just existing there but had apparently been sustained for a very long time.”​

A large sponge and a cluster of anemones | Schmidt Ocean Institute

Using an underwater robot called SuBastian, the team found vibrant anemones, sea spiders, icefish, octopuses, and sponges, as well as plenty of new species that will take years to describe. “Because the Bellingshausen Sea is not much explored in terms of deep-sea biodiversity, we expect many new species from the expedition,” said another co-chief scientist, Patricia Esquete. “And in fact, we have already confirmed some, including snails, polychaete worms, crustaceans, and even fish.”

Why not take a closer look to see what the scientists discovered? Here are some of the expedition's photos.