Originally published August 6 2005
New species found in the Arctic Ocean
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A team of scientists from the University of Alaska used robotic submarines to investigate the depths of the Arctic Ocean. Their findings reveal some new species and an ocean teaming with life.
The remotest depths of the Arctic ocean are surprisingly full of life, including previously unknown species of jellyfish and worms, a scientific team which just finished exploring the area said on Friday.
The scientists, led by the University of Alaska, used robot submarines and sonar to probe an isolated 12,470-foot (3,800-meter) basin off Canada's Arctic coast where they fear species could be at risk from global warming.
Even at a depth of 3,000 meters we found animals on the sea floor, we found sea cucumbers ...
The species are a jellyfish and three kinds of benthic bristle worms.
The team also found unexpectedly high numbers of cod as well as the first squid, octopus and flea-like crustaceans ever seen in an icy environment.
The Healy returned on Tuesday with thousands of specimens from the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas and the Canada Basin, a vast bowl walled by steep ridges and covered with ice.
The team said the data would help measure the impact of climate change and, should polar caps continue receding, the damage done by increased energy exploitation, fishing and shipping.
"This is a benchmark and we hope that in the next 10, 20 or 30 years these kinds of studies will be repeated to see whether any kinds of changes have occurred in the composition and the abundance of animal life," said Gradinger.
U.N. studies say the Arctic could be largely ice-free in summer by 2100 because of global warming, blamed mostly on gas emissions from cars, power plants and factories.
The scientists say that if the northern polar cap melts, more southerly species could enter Arctic waters and disrupt the ecology.
Some of the exotic life forms they found can be seen at http://www.coml.org/medres/iceocean/iceocean.htm.
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