Antarctica researchers stunned as 'hidden world' discovered beneath ice
7A completely new ecosystem was uncovered just 500 metres below the Ross ice shelf in Antarctica. The scientists discovered a vast cathedral-like cavern containing a range of creatures including amphipods, which are a type of animal from the same family that includes lobsters, crabs, and mites. A team of researchers from New Zealand, as part of the National Institute of Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) and Geological and Nuclear Sciences were sent in to investigate what role this estuary could play in the melting of ice shelves as a result of climate change.
When they drilled down into the ice shelf and into the river below, their camera was swarmed by these tiny amphipods.
Niwa’s Craig Stevens said: “For a while, we thought something was wrong with the camera, but when the focus improved, we noticed a swarm of arthropods around 5mm in size.
“We’ve done experiments in other parts of the ice shelf and thought we had a handle on things, but this time big surprises were thrown up.”
He added that while studying climate change was an important aspect of the study, there was an element of discovery involved for the team as well.
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