After an iceberg in Antarctica measuring roughly the size of Chicago suddenly broke off into the Bellinghausen Sea in January, scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) were shocked to find a thriving community of diverse organisms living underneath.
The team says witnessing an iceberg of this size break off in real time was unexpected. However, it provided the group already aboard the vessel with a unique opportunity to investigate how these hardy organisms, sometimes called extremophiles for their ability to inhabit extreme environments scientists once considered uninhabitable, can exist in such stygian conditions.
The research team behind the discovery believes their Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) expeditions underneath the newly calved iceberg have likely found several previously unidentified species.
Shocking Discovery Beneath Iceberg Adds to Mysteries of Antarctica
Before the research team’s discovery, several scientists studying Antarctica’s mysteries, including investigating the continent’s only native insect, have also made historic, unexpected, and worrying discoveries. In 2024, a trio of studies of Antarctica found mysterious, giant features under the Dotson Ice Shelf, pieces of ancient amber indicating Antarctica had trees 90 million years ago, and indications the Ross Ice Shelf is experiencing daily jolts from the movement of ice streams.
In 2021, scientists made a discovery notably similar to the Bellinghausen Sea expedition when they found an oasis of marine life underneath the Antarctic Ice Shelf. A 2022 expedition also found an unexpected community of crab-like creatures deep under Antarctica.
In January of this year, scientists found a thriving ecosystem beneath 14 meters of ice covering Lake Enigma. The foothill region is considered one of the least likely locations on Earth scientists would have expected to find life.
Researchers exploring Antarctica have also investigated several mysterious disappearances. For example, one team found that thousands of the continent’s meteorites, an invaluable resource to scientists due to their normally pristine conditions, are disappearing at an alarming rate. Another team investigated why unusual ice formations once prominent on the surface of Antarctica had suddenly disappeared.
The latest discovery of an entire community of organisms living and thriving underneath a newly separated iceberg seemingly adds to the mysteries of the planet’s most remote continent while offering the opportunity to solve several others.
Researchers Were in the Right Place at the Right Time
The research team acknowledges that exploring the area underneath an iceberg is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. However, they also say the expedition was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
“The science team was originally in this remote region to study the seafloor and ecosystem at the interface between ice and sea,” explained Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director Dr. Jyotika Virmani.
Virmani described the event as a “rare scientific opportunity” that was strong enough for the team to set aside previous plans and focus on the iceberg.
“We seized upon the moment, changed our expedition plan, and went for it so we could look at what was happening in the depths below,” said expedition co-chief scientist Dr. Patricia Esquete of the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and the Department of Biology (DBio) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. “We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years.”
After the team moved closer to examine the calving results, they found an iceberg roughly 510 square kilometers (209 square miles), or about the size of Chicago. The event also exposed an equivalent area of seafloor that had likely been covered for millennia.
The team immediately began expeditions to explore the region using the Schmidt Institute’s ROV, SuBastian. After eight days exploring the seafloor, the team says they found “flourishing ecosystems at depths as great as 1300 meters.” Among the most unexpected finds were communities of large corals and sponges supporting a surprising array of animal life, “including icefish, giant sea spiders, and octopus.”
Investigating Precise Mechanisms Fueling These Remote Ecosystems
The discovery of a thriving ecosystem underneath an iceberg has excited scientists, while offering several unanswered questions. The team hopes that future efforts can help explain the precise mechanisms fueling these remote ecosystems that appear hostile to life. The team also suggests their work can play a significant role in efforts preserve the ice and reduce the effects of climate change in this once pristine environment.
“The ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet is a major contributor to sea level rise worldwide,” said expedition co-chief scientist Sasha Montelli of University College London (UCL), United Kingdom, also a 2019 Schmidt Science Fellow. “Our work is critical for providing longer-term context of these recent changes, improving our ability to make projections of future change — projections that can inform actionable policies. We will undoubtedly make new discoveries as we continue to analyze this vital data.”
While those efforts are critical to the planet’s future, the rare opportunity to study a freshly separated iceberg reminded at least one of the researchers why their job can go from meticulous to wondrous in seconds.
“Serendipitous moments are part of the excitement of research at sea,” Dr. Virmani explained, “they offer the chance to be the first to witness the untouched beauty of our world.”
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.