A wide diversity of marine life, that may include previously unknown species, flourishes in a region of ocean once hidden beneath a thick cover of ice, finds a recently-returned Antarctic expedition co-led by a UCL researcher.
The expedition, in partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute, examined and mapped the unseen submarine environment off the Antarctic Peninsula, in an area that was until recently covered by a massive ice shelf and that in late 2024 shed a colossal iceberg from its floating edge.
Using underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), sonar soundings, sediment coring, water sampling and other techniques, the team spent ten days charting and characterising the underwater environment to an unprecedented level of detail. They collected data about the region's current environment as well as evidence of past ice conditions.
