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Deepest Dive Under Antarctica Reveals a Vibrant World (2017)
- Retr0id 3y ago(2017) (subscription-only)
- throwup238 3y agohttps://archive.ph/i1NAM https://archive.ph/i1NAM
- geor9e 3y agoBy "Under Antarctica" they mean under the ice shelves that extend off the coast. Technically the ice shelves are considered inside the continent's border, despite water underneath. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Antarctic_Ice_Sheet#/media/File:Antarctica_ice_shelves-en.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Antarctic_Ice_Sheet#/medi...
- adrian_b 3y agoThe bottom of the sea is very interesting there, because it is densely populated but the abundant species are very different from other seas and more similar to what can be found in other places only at much higher depths. Instead of abundant crabs and other crustaceans and mollusks, "Under Antarctica" the most abundant big animals on the bottom are echinoderms, sea spiders and nemertean worms.
- mrweiner 3y agoAny idea what the reason for that is? Is it simply because the shallows are darker and colder?
- adrian_b 3y agoIt is not known for sure, but the most plausible explanation is that during the last Ice Ages the crabs and most fish have disappeared from there due to low temperatures. The disappearance of these predators has allowed other animal groups to flourish, while in other places those groups are restricted to higher depths, where such predators are also absent.
- geor9e 3y ago>due to low temperatures Are you sure that's it? Sea water doesn't get any colder than a couple degrees below 0C, so the whole antarctic and arctic seas are all very similar temperatures no matter what part or what depth you're at. The crabs and fish have antifreeze protein in their blood too.
- _justinfunk 3y agoThe Why Files did this episode last week (https://youtu.be/IQz7innxnms https://youtu.be/IQz7innxnms). It is Atlantis under the ice, after all.
- Voultapher 3y agoCynical take. Vibrant and abundant because we as humans haven't been there much.
- malfist 3y agoYet!
- netsharc 3y agoWe really are the most invasive species.. reading about the abundance of octopuses makes me sad that 1 monkey-derived species got smart enough to invent tools and is now on its way to killing its host...
- aaron695 3y ago[dead]
- username135 3y agoI thought that was the assumption
- marklar423 3y agoIf you like this sort of thing, give Subnautica (and its sequel, Below Zero) a spin.
- RecentlyThawed 3y agoSubnautica is such a great exploration game. Super excited for Subnautica 2 this year
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- all_usernames 3y agoA massive effort is currently underway by undersea mining companies to dredge the life out of huge swaths of largely unexplored seabed, including Antarctic and Polar regions. It's the same insanity that allows industrial fishing fleets to drag kilometers-long nets through the sea scooping up megatons of bycatch -- although, this time we are likely to obliterate seabed ecosystems before anyone even has a chance to see them. Some brilliant reads on these and surrounding topics: https://susancasey.com/ https://susancasey.com/ https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-deepest-map-laura-trethewey https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-deepest-map-laura...