The polar ice is having an environmental effect on the creatures that can be found on the floor of the ocean, according to a new study. The wellness and wellbeing of these creatures could be severely affected by the changing climate, leading to deep concern from environmental scientists.
Off the Antarctic peninsula, the Larsen A ice shelf was broken up tempestuously some 20 years ago. On the sea floor here, glass sponges have grown and thrived. Now that the glacier above them has collapsed, there is no longer a sheet of ice all year round protecting these creatures. Although the temperature of deep water remains unchanged, other water is now exposed to sunlight for around six months every year, which was previously not the case. Researchers have shown that filter-feeding animals are now increasing in numbers at an alarming rate, and this is believed to be due to the temperature.
On the sea bed, there used to be many ascidians and sea squirts, but these can no longer be found, and have been replaced instead with these glass sponges. This is as a direct result of the increased sunlight, as there is more phytoplankton on the surface of the water, which leads to more fresh food on the sea bed some 140 metres below.
Scientists made this discovery by observing the area between 2007 and 2011 using remotely-operated underwater cameras. This has turned on its head the idea that in these freezing waters creatures live for a long time and grow very slowly. The population of these glass sponges is now growing rapidly, which shows that these previously held assertions are not the case at all. In a relatively short period of time, these organisms can grow quickly and colonise new habitats.