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WonderOcean ecosystem fact

When a giant iceberg broke away from Antarctica in 2025, scientists rushed in and filmed a thriving world of life on the seafloor that had been sealed under ice for centuries.

Schmidt Ocean Institute (2025)

OceanNatureScience

The story behind the card

The iceberg, called A-84, broke off the George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2025. It covered about 510 square km, roughly the size of Chicago, and uncovered seabed that had been roofed by floating ice for centuries. Soon after, the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research ship Falkor (too) arrived and sent down its underwater robot SuBastian. It found large corals and sponges, icefish, giant sea spiders, octopuses and a ghostly phantom jellyfish. Some animals were so big that they must have been growing there for decades, perhaps centuries, which surprised scientists who had expected little life without sunlight. Ocean currents probably carry food in under the ice.

Türkçe oku
2025'te Antarktika'dan dev bir buzdağı koptuğunda bilim insanları hemen bölgeye gitti ve yüzyıllardır buzun altında kalmış deniz tabanında canlılarla dolu bir dünya görüntüledi.
Schmidt Okyanus Enstitüsü (2025)

A-84 adlı buzdağı Ocak 2025'te Antarktika Yarımadası'ndaki George VI Buz Sahanlığı'ndan koptu. Yaklaşık 510 kilometrekarelik, kabaca Chicago büyüklüğünde bir buz kütlesiydi ve yüzyıllardır yüzen buzla örtülü bir deniz tabanını açığa çıkardı. Kısa süre sonra Schmidt Okyanus Enstitüsü'nün Falkor (too) adlı araştırma gemisi bölgeye ulaştı ve uzaktan kumandalı sualtı robotu SuBastian'ı suya indirdi. Robot iri mercanlar ve süngerler, buz balıkları, dev deniz örümcekleri, ahtapotlar ve hayalet gibi görünen bir denizanası buldu. Bazı hayvanlar o kadar büyüktü ki orada onlarca, belki yüzlerce yıldır büyüyor olmalıydılar. Güneş ışığı almayan bu yerde bu kadar canlı beklemeyen bilim insanları, besinin buzun altına okyanus akıntılarıyla taşındığını düşünüyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: George VI Sound
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