From Antarctica broke off an iceberg, which opened a unique life

2017-10-06 11:50

From Antarctica broke off an iceberg, which opened a unique life
From the plot With the Antarctic glacier Larsen broke off a huge iceberg, the largest recorded them

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Biologists rush to study marine organisms and ecosystems exposed to the sun for the first time last summer, when Antarctica broke away with a large iceberg, reports Rus.Media.

In July 2017 from a parcel of Antarctic glacier Larsen broke off a huge iceberg, the largest recorded them: his area was about 5800 km2, and a maximum weight of more than a trillion tons. Went to sea Wedell iceberg A68 is so great that scientists believe it is completely separated from the ice shelves would accelerate the melting, and in General of climate change on all space of the Western Antarctic.

However, biologists have found that there is a sudden plus: the cracking and slipping of glacial fields to the ocean provides access to ancient living organisms that were trapped under them, around 120 thousand years. This is Joe merchant (Jo Marchant) writes in the author’s material prepared for the journal Nature.

Sea water and shallow bottom under 5800 km2, which formerly covered the iceberg A68 become available for solar light and begin to interact with other parts of the ocean. Perhaps, this is the first time at least long interglacial 117-128 thousand years ago. And scientists are extremely excited to explore the region long remained in isolation, and the processes that will now happen.

Last year, the international Commission for the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources (CCAMLR) decided to include the marine ecosystem that are opened due to the melting of ice, in “Special scientific interest” (Special Area for Scientific Study). This status gives them protection from fishing, which is prohibited in these areas for at least two years with possibility of extension to ten.

Meanwhile, the British Antarctic expedition (BAS) is preparing to launch in 2018 to send to the region of former A68 near glacier Larsen’s research vessel. In 2018 and 2019, respectively, are planned expedition to the South Korean and German explorers: scientists rush to start work before the new terms fundamentally change the state’s unique ecosystems.

Iceberg A68 in the visible and infrared ranges, the photos were taken on September 16, 2017 with Landsat 8 / ©NASA

“Not so easy to mobilize research efforts, it requires lots of money, and the allocation of a vessel to organize something, especially in such a short time, says marine biologist from BAS Susan Grant (Susan Grant). But the fact that many groups are trying to quickly solve these issues shows that the opportunity opened really rare.”

While no one really can say that waiting for the findings of scientists in Antarctica. Perhaps they indicate past experience in the areas of glacier collapses of Larsen A and b, what happened in 1995 and 2002 One of the main outcomes of the study open, then, on the shelf ecosystem was their resemblance to the ecosystems of the great depths of the ocean. However, these findings have yet to confirm, and next year we can get such data.