Is there life deep in Antarctica?

'Hidden world' of marine life discovered in Antarctic 'river' under ice. Beneath a vast Antarctic ice shelf, in a cathedral-like cavern hundreds of metres high, are swarms of little shrimp-like creatures in a newly discovered underwater ecosystem that, until recently, had remained an ice-locked secret.

Is there a deep hole in Antarctica?

Winter ice on the surface of Antarctica's Weddell Sea sometimes has an enormous hole called a polynya.

Is there life under the Antarctic?

Researchers have discovered a never-before-seen ecosystem lurking in an underground river one third of a mile beneath an Antarctic ice shelf. The team of scientists from New Zealand drilled through the ice shelf and dropped a camera into the cavern below.

What is in deep of Antarctica?

“Under West Antarctica, Earth's crust is comparatively thin at about 25 kilometres, and the mantle is viscous at less than 100 kilometres. East Antarctica, on the other hand, is an old cratonic shield. Here, the mantle rock still has solid properties at a depth of more than 200 kilometres.”

Is there a hidden world of marine life under Antarctica?

It was during this climate-driven research that the team of New Zealand scientists, while drilling through the ice and into the river beneath the ice cap, discovered a “hidden world” right under their feet: their camera lens was suddenly crowded with amphipods, small marine crustaceans that resemble shrimp.

Why No One's Allowed To Explore The Antarctic

What did NASA find under Antarctica?

Scientists using NASA's Earth observing system find evidence of phytoplankton blooms hidden beneath Antarctic sea ice. Until now, researchers believed the packed sea ice of the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean) blocked all light from reaching the sea beneath.

What mystery is in Antarctica?

The mystery of Antarctica continues deep below its surface, where no one has gone before. It is said that the Lost City of Atlantis is hidden beneath the kilometres of ice. The city would have thrived when Antarctica was a warm, tropical region, and would've been buried after the Ice Age froze the continent.

What was found in Antarctica recently?

Scientists say they've found a space rock for the ages in Antarctica — an extremely rare meteorite that contains some of the oldest material in the solar system.

What is in the big hole in Antarctica?

Scientists showed in previous research that ocean processes and cyclones contributed to the hole, called a polynya. But a recent study has revealed a new piece of the puzzle: atmospheric rivers.

What was recently found under Antarctica?

During a recent excursion to the icy plains of Antarctica, an international team of researchers discovered five new meteorites — including one of the largest ever found on the continent. The rare meteorite is about the size of a cantaloupe but weighs a hefty 17 pounds (7.7 kilograms).

Is there a lake under Antarctica?

Lake Vostok (Russian: озеро Восток, ozero Vostok) is the largest of Antarctica's almost 400 known subglacial lakes. Lake Vostok is located at the southern Pole of Cold, beneath Russia's Vostok Station under the surface of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is at 3,488 m (11,444 ft) above mean sea level.

Is there land underneath Antarctica?

The Antarctic continent lies on a large landmass. Underneath that smooth ice sheet there are mountains and valleys.

Why do airplanes not fly over Antarctica?

There are very few cases of airplanes flying over Antarctica. The rough weather conditions and low visibility make it extremely difficult to fly and land a plane over the continent. It is technically possible to fly to Antarctica, but there are very few flights that take the risk of going there.

Who legally owns Antarctica?

Seven countries (Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom) maintain territorial claims in Antarctica, but the United States and most other countries do not recognize those claims.

Why is it illegal to fly over the South Pole?

It is not illegal for planes to fly over Antarctica, however, they don't because it is too far from any diversion airports in case there are engine problems. There are few routes for which it would make sense to fly over Antarctica because it is so remote.

What is hidden under the ice in Antarctica?

Our study found the first ever record of a hard substrate—a boulder—community deep beneath an ice shelf, made up of probable filter-feeding animals such as sponges." Moving inland, Antarctica's frozen wasteland conceals a hidden kingdom of hundreds of subglacial lakes and rivers, teaming with life.

What is the strange particle in Antarctica?

There's something mysterious coming up from the frozen ground in Antarctica, and it could break physics as we know it. Physicists don't know what it is exactly. But they do know it's some sort of cosmic ray — a high-energy particle that's blasted its way through space, into the Earth, and back out again.

Is there a KFC in Antarctica?

There are no physical restaurants or bars on Antarctica proper as all research station residents are supplied by the government.

What is buried beneath Antarctica?

The scientists found the secret subterranean habitat tucked away beneath the Larsen Ice Shelf — a massive, floating sheet of ice attached to the eastern coast of the Antarctic peninsula that famously birthed the world's largest iceberg in 2021.

Have any bodies been found in Antarctica?

At Livingston Island, among the South Shetlands off the Antarctic Peninsula, a human skull and femur have been lying near the shore for 175 years. They are the oldest human remains ever found in Antarctica.

What lived on Antarctica before it froze?

Earth's southernmost continent boasted an abundance of plant and animal life before becoming a frozen wasteland, with numerous dinosaurs previously identified along with flora including conifers, ferns and flowering plants.

Why are there no pictures of Antarctica from space?

Because of the location of Antarctica and because the rest of the year there isn't enough sunlight at the poles for the satellites to see the land, images can only be taken from December through March, the summer season.

Why can't you see Antarctica on Google Maps?

Most military and defense facilities, along with many private homes, appear blurred in mapping services. The vast majority of Antarctica is also in low resolution due to the bright, often featureless, ice and snow making high-resolution imaging both difficult and largely unnecessary.

What is the strange iceberg in Antarctica?

Tabular icebergs are wide and flat, and long, like sheet cake, Brunt said. They split from the edges of ice shelves — large blocks of ice, connected to land but floating in the water surrounding iced-over places like Antarctica. This one came from the crumbling Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.