Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey have planned an expedition to a marine ecosystem previously located under the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica and cut off from light for 120,000 years. Writes about this publication Science Alert.
Light again began to penetrate the water column in this region after the iceberg A-68 with an area of about six thousand square kilometers broke away from the glacier in 2017. A piece of ice moved towards the Southern Ocean, freeing up a body of water. The researchers plan to study the previously inaccessible ecosystem before changing environmental conditions lead to its extinction.
They are going to describe the marine animals encountered in the area, take samples of microorganisms and plankton, and also take samples of rocks and sea water. During the expedition, scientists will use satellite monitoring data to find their way to the ecosystem among the ice.
Larsen is the northernmost of the remaining large glaciers in Antarctica. Several scientists are observing its destruction. In particular, the MIDAS team has been monitoring the shelf since 2011. In 2002, part of the Larsen B glacier was destroyed, in area comparable to the territory of the American island of Long Island. According to scientists, the appearance of A-68 will lead to an acceleration of the melting of Larsen.