Antarctic Icebergs: Unlikely Oases for Ocean Life

[sarahm.]

Antarctic Icebergs: Unlikely Oases for Ocean Life

Scientists studying Antarctic icebergs in the Southern Ocean have discovered that these floating chunks of ice provide a unique habitat for ocean life, and have a profound effect on the ecology of the ocean around them. Enormous icebergs  some as large as states or small countries - carry trapped terrestrial material out to sea, and then release the material as they melt. This process provides nutrients for large communities of organisms, from seabirds to fish and plankton below the water.

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to a massive number of icebergs, and some scientists estimate that these icebergs are raising the biological productivity in nearly 40 percent of Antarctica's Weddell Sea. Additionally, scientists think that the icebergs might even play a role in regulating our planet's climate by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The new findings provide an interesting look into the ecology of one of Earth's most remote locations. Antarctica and its surrounding seas have long been of interest to astrobiologists, and this new research can yield exciting clues concerning the connections between life and our planet's changing global environment. Information about how processes in the Southern Ocean can regulate Earth's climate also yield clues about the drivers for ecosystem change and the effects they will have for the future of life on our planet.

[rsudherkumar]

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[rsudherkumar]

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