Secret ecosystem discovered under Antarctica’s icy surface by researchers

Scientists have good news about Antarctica. A secret ecosystem has thrived under the icy surface and the discovery was made recently. Researchers have discovered this “hidden world” under the Larsen Ice Shelf. The footage reveals a dark cave-like space filled with swarms of tiny shrimp-like creatures. The Larsen Ice Shelf is a huge sheet of ice floating while attached to the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Satellite images reveal that the unusual groove where this ecosystem was found is an underground river.

In order to uncover this hidden ecosystem, the research team drilled nearly 1,640 feet (500 meters) below the surface of the ice. For this borehole, they used a powerful hot water pipe to reach the underground chamber. When a camera was sent down this bored tunnel, it captured images of several tiny fuzzy specks in the water. Those swim spots weren’t a camera problem. Instead, they were tiny crustaceans called amphipods, which the researchers didn’t expect so much below the surface.

Craig Stevens, a physical oceanographer at the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) in Auckland, New Zealand, said: “Having all these animals swimming around our camera means there are clearly has an important ecosystem process taking place there.”

The researchers were also surprised by the interior space in which this ecosystem was located. They expected a smooth, flat roof. But the roof was very uneven and had a lot of undulations. “It looked like a loaf of bread, with a bulge at the top and a narrow slope at the bottom,” Stevens added.

The researchers also unexpectedly discovered a unique feature of the water column. Groundwater divides into four or five distinct layers flowing in opposite directions. “It changes our current understanding and models of these environments,” Stevens said. He added: “We’re going to have our work cut out to figure out what that means.”

Scientists suggest they will continue to study the new underground ecosystem. They will also try to find out how nutrients circulate in Antarctic groundwater systems.