Researchers Drill Through 900 Meters of Ice, Discover Life in Total Darkness Under Antarctic Ice Shelf
In an incredible discovery, polar scientists have sighted marine life on the ocean floor beneath a huge Antarctica ice shelf, an area previously believed to be uninhabited.
Planning to collect sediment samples, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) lowered a camera into a borehole in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf on the southeastern Weddell Sea. The camera descended through 900 meters (approx. 0.5 miles) of solid ice before exiting into the depths of the Antarctic far below.
The temperature on the pitch-dark ocean floor, untouched by sunlight, registered -2.2 degrees Celsius (approx. 28 degrees Fahrenheit).
Accidental discovery of life deep beneath Antarctica s ice shelves baffles scientists downtoearth.org.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from downtoearth.org.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Scientists were drilling through nearly a kilometre of Antarctic ice shelf on the Weddell Sea, hoping to get a sample of the sediment below. But instead, they hit a boulder and found something completely unexpected stationary life forms.
Hundreds of metres below Antarctic ice, in complete darkness and temperatures below zero, scientists have discovered a community of animals that expands knowledge about survival in frosty conditions.
Strange Creatures Accidentally Discovered Under Antarctic Ice Shelf courthousenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from courthousenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.