Krill Discovered in the Antarctic Ocean’s Depths
27.02.2008 - Other
Scientists both from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton (NOCS) have recently reported to the journal Current Biology that they found krill living and feeding 3000 metres in depth around the Antarctic Peninsula. Until now, it was believed that krill only lived in the upper ocean.
This discovery, using a deep-driving remotely operated vehicle (RoV) called Isis, completely changes current scientific understanding of Antarctic krill behavior. Until now, oceanic expeditions using echo-sound techniques and collection samples in nets showed that most of the adult krill population lived within the top 150 metres of the water column.
Professor Andrew Clarke of the British Antarctic Survey specified that "while most krill make their living in the ocean's surface waters, the new findings revise significantly our understanding of the depth distribution and ecology of Antarctic krill. It was a surprise to observe actively-feeding adult krill, including females that were apparently ready to spawn, close to the seabed in deep water." The deep sea still has a lot to unveil...
