Deep sea species colonize the continental shelf of Antarctica

The deep-sea species are colonizing the Antarctic continental shelf, an ecosystem that had remained stable under a layer of ice over the past 1,000 years and has been released after the collapse of more than 10,000 square km of ice in the last 15 years. This is confirmed by an international team of researchers, involving the CSIC, who has studied for 70 days the effects of climate change in Antarctica.

"Until five years ago, when the project Climantica, which covers this issue, first visited the Larsen A and B bays, it was thought that the process of recolonization of the continental shelf were very slow. At that time the results opened new questions about the speed of recovery of those areas, "said Enrique Isla, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), who participated in the expedition to the frozen continent.

This year researchers have observed that the recovery of the seabed varies across regions. "Apparently, the Antarctic continental shelf in the area of ​​Larsen bays in the western Weddell is recolonized faster than the high Antarctic," he continues island

Thanks to images taken by a vehicle underwater ROV ( Remote Operated Vehicle ), controlled from the German icebreaker Polarstern, the researchers found that the existing fauna to 300 feet deep has changed significantly over the past four years.

"Among other phenomena, we find more sponges than we had seen before, and among the new saw several species commonly found in deeper areas," he adds.

For researchers, these results support the hypothesis that, as in the interglacial periods, deep-sea species are colonizing the continental shelf.

The process of melting

The research team also confirmed that the ice shelf that divides the bays Larsen melts, and that there may be under it for a connection between the two zones to 230 feet deep. According to experts, this would explain the fact that the benthic communities found in both bays present similar compositions.

"We're back with thousands of animals and sediment samples that will keep us busy in the lab over the next year, but we're excited because the results give us valuable information about how we are transforming the site of the world's least disturbed by man" concludes Island

Source: CSIC