by Antarctica not just the coldest continent; He is the one who keeps the most secret.
Because of its remoteness and eerie climate, beneath the ice and waves there is a treasure trove of weird and wonderful oddities still waiting to be discovered. And in 2022, scientists hit the jackpot. From hidden ecosystems and ancient DNA to mind-blowing flowers and spooky fish nests, here are this year’s best Antarctic stories.
A “hidden world” under the ice
(opens in new tab)
Using a large hot water drill, researchers have uncovered a never-before-seen ecosystem lurking in an underground river deep within the icy surface of the Larsen Ice Shelf.
The secret habitat lies in a huge chamber about 1,640 feet (500 meters) below the ice surface. Researchers found the underground structure after noticing an unusual groove in the satellite image of the ice sheet, but when they finally dug deep to investigate, they never expected to find anything inside.
Instead, the team found thousands of tiny crustaceans known as amphipods “jumping with joy.”
Read more: Discovery of ‘hidden world’ under Antarctic ice makes scientists ‘jumping with joy’
New deepest point mapped
(opens in new tab)
A new map of the Southern Ocean has given scientists the most detailed view to date, including the “Factorian Deep”, the deepest point of the seafloor surrounding Antarctica.
Located about 24,400 feet (7,437 m) below the sea surface, or 17 stacked Empire State Buildings, Factorian Deep was only discovered in 2019. surrounding seafloor.
The new map draws on more than 1,200 sonar datasets collected mostly by science ships and covers more than 18.5 million square miles (48 million square kilometers) of the seafloor. The researchers hope to use the seafloor graph to identify underwater mountains or seamounts that could be hotspots for marine life.
Read more: The ‘Factorian Deep’, the new deepest point in Antarctica’s Southern Ocean, has been mapped for the first time
Bottom flowers that defy logic
(opens in new tab)
Separate teams of researchers have discovered seemingly impossible phytoplankton blooms lurking deep under the ocean surface in both polar regions of Earth.
Scientists had previously assumed that there wasn’t enough light in the water below the polar sea ice for phytoplankton to generate enough energy to survive. However, new studies have revealed that algae can thrive with as little as 1% of the light available on the surface.
In Antarctica, researchers used deep-diving buoys to measure the amount of chlorophyll-a, a pigment used by algae and other plants during photosynthesis, in water deep within the sea ice, and found that there was likely a high concentration of phytoplankton there.
Researchers suspect that the reduction in sea ice quantity and lifespan caused by climate change may help sustain these bottom blooms by maximizing the amount of light they receive.
Read more: Logic-defying ‘bottom flowers’ could sustain hidden ecosystems in the Arctic and Antarctic
1 million years old DNA found
(opens in new tab)
While collecting routine samples of seafloor sediment in the Scotia Sea, researchers accidentally uncovered DNA from ancient microorganisms, some of which are about 1 million years old.
Ancient genetic material was extracted from depths 584 feet (178 m) below the seafloor and dates from 1 million years ago to about 540,000 years ago.
Scientists aren’t sure which species the oldest DNA samples belong to, but the newest samples likely come from a group of phytoplankton known as diatoms. Diatoms date back to an ancient era of global warming and may provide clues to how Antarctica’s marine ecosystems will respond to human-induced climate change.
Read more: Scientists discover 1 million-year-old DNA sample hidden under the Antarctic seafloor
The apocalypse glacier is in danger
(opens in new tab)
Looking below Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier,” underwater robots saw the glacier cling to the seabed below with their claws. After breaking up, his doom may come sooner than expected due to rapid movement and an extreme increase in ice loss.
A new map of the seafloor surrounding the icy beast has revealed a series of parallel grooves left behind as the glacier scraped along the ocean floor during previously unknown periods of rapid retreat over the past few centuries.
The researchers warn that such rapid melting could be triggered again by overheating caused by climate change.
Read more: New seafloor map approaches more disasters than ‘Doomsday Glacier’ scientists thought
Huge underground river discovered
(opens in new tab)
Using the aircraft-mounted ice-penetrating radar, the researchers discovered a massive underground river flowing under four separate ice floes.
The river is longer than the Thames in England and drains melting ice from an area where France and Germany meet into the Weddell Sea. If the entire region melts as a result of climate change, it could raise global sea levels by 4.3 m, with disastrous consequences.
Researchers suspect there is probably an entire system of underground rivers across the continent.
Read more: Huge river discovered under Antarctica is nearly 300 miles long
The world’s largest iceberg says goodbye
(opens in new tab)
NASA’s Terra satellite captured a photo of the world’s largest iceberg A-76A floating at the mouth of Drake Pass, a swath of turbulent water in the Southern Ocean, as it began to move away from Antarctica.
The enormous ice sheet is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) long and 16 miles (26 km) wide and first broke off the Ronne Ice Shelf in 2021.
Normally, when icebergs drift into Drake Pass, they are quickly driven eastward by strong ocean currents, then rapidly northward into warmer waters, where they soon melt completely.
It’s unclear where the A-76A will eventually stand or when it will meet its watery grave.
Read more: Satellite image shows world’s largest iceberg drifting from Antarctica to its doom
Millions of fish nests
(opens in new tab)
Scientists aboard an icebreaker ship in Antarctica were blown away when they imaged a treasure trove of 60 million icefish nests dotting the floor of the Weddell Sea.
The nests were first discovered by chance using a video feed on the seafloor on a scientific vessel that wanted to study whales. The nests were 10 inches (25 centimeters) apart and covered an area of about 93 square miles (240 square kilometers). One parent fish, containing an average of 1,700 eggs in each nest, kept watch.
The area was also filled with icefish carcasses, suggesting that this huge colony of icefish was an integral part of the local ecosystem and likely served as prey for Weddell seals.
Read more: Largest fish farm discovered under the Weddell Sea in Antarctica
Huge lake under the ice
(opens in new tab)
Researchers have discovered a city-sized lake hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Called Lake Snow Eagle, the hidden lake has a surface area of 143 square miles (370 square km) and is located in a one-mile-deep canyon under 2 miles (3.2 km) of ice.
The team uncovered the lake after three years of extensive aerial research on the ice sheet using radar and special sensors designed to measure tiny changes in Earth’s gravity.
Experts believe the ice sheet itself may contain 34 million-year-old river sediments, shedding light on what Antarctica was like before the continent froze.
Read more: City-sized lake found under Antarctica’s largest ice sheet
Simultaneous polar heat waves
(opens in new tab)
This year, both Earth’s polar regions experienced unprecedented, simultaneous heatwaves, with temperatures in some areas briefly skyrocketing to never-before-seen heights.
The average temperature in Antarctica was 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit (4.8 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. That same day, the average temperature in the Arctic was 6 F (3.3 C) higher than normal.
It is very rare to see high temperatures in both polar regions at the same time, as they have opposite seasons; When spring arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic begins to thaw, while Antarctica begins to freeze after months of summer thaw.
Scientists were particularly surprised by the heatwave in Antarctica because temperatures there have generally remained more stable compared to the Arctic.
Read more: Alarming heatwaves hit the North Pole and Antarctica simultaneously
Looking to fill your boots with even more Antarctic content? This year we’ve also answered mysteries like: When Antarctica was the first continent, why don’t polar bears live there and whether it will be livable for humans.
