In pics - Marine life in newly explored Antarctic river deep beneath the ice
‘Hidden world’ of marine life in Antarctica | Source: NIWA / Craig Stevens |
The findings came from the Antarctica New Zealand institution which supported a number of researchers from universities in Wellington, Auckland and Otago, the National Institute of Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) and Geological and Nuclear Sciences.
Surprising findings | Source: NIWA / Craig Stevens |
“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,” said NIWA’s Craig Stevens according to The Guardian.
Shrimp-like creatures | Photo: NIWA/Craig Stevens |
The organisms found in the frozen river under the ice were determined to be shrimp-like amphipods - little creatures from the same lineage as lobsters, crabs and mites.
Network of lakes and rivers | Source: NIWA / Craig Stevens |
The researchers said that they have been aware of a network of freshwater lakes underneath the ice in Antarctica but this is a major breakthrough in understanding the ecosystem of those water bodies.
Antarctic research site | Photo: NIWA/ Craig Stevens |
The team of researchers have left instruments deep inside the water bodies and they will further studying the ecosystem and various marine organisms present.
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