Rich Marine Life in Changing Bellingshausen Sea
18.12.2009 - Water & Oceans, Flora & Fauna, Antarctic
New photographs revealed this week by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) show ice fish, octopus, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare rays and basket stars to be thriving in Antarctica's continental shelf seas. The pictures were taken as part of an international effort onboard the BAS Royal Research Ship James Clark Ross to study the sea surface to seabed biodiversity in the Bellingshausen Sea in West Antarctica.
This area, one of the fastest warming in the world, is very rich in biodiversity. The countless animals living here are considered good indicators for environmental changes since many occur not only in the shallow waters, but also in deeper waters. These creatures are incredibly temperature-sensitive, and are thus expected to provide scientists with a better understanding of the environment's adaptation system to climate change.
Scientists specialized in marien biology were already aware that accelerating glacier melt, collapse of ice shelves, and shrinking winter sea-ice have an impact on marine life. However, they say, the new study will provide them with a new baseline against which they will be able to compare future impacts on sea life and the food chain.
