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Icebergs Putting Oceans at Risk by Carrying Debris: Study
Researchers say climate change is increasing icebergs and dropstones, creating deep-sea oases that now support corals, sponges and other Arctic animals.
- Melting icebergs drifting into the Arctic Ocean from Greenland and Russia are depositing stones that create new hard-substrate habitats on the seafloor, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
- Climate change has accelerated glacier flow and melting, leading to a sharp increase in icebergs passing through the Fram Strait since around 2000, says sea ice physicist Dr. Thomas Krumpen of the Alfred Wegener Institute.
- Biologist Dr. Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute observed debris-laden icebergs from the Polarstern, noting that sponges and anemones now settle on these stones, increasing deep-sea biodiversity.
- While these "dropstones" provide deepwater oases for marine life, Krumpen warns that the increasing frequency of icebergs poses a "considerable risk" to cruise ships, cargo vessels, and oil exploration activities.
- As fishing moves northward, newly deposited stones could endanger bottom trawling, says marine biologist Bodil Bluhm of UiT The Arctic University of Norway, who calls the findings a "wow" example of planetary connectivity.
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34 Articles
Retreating glaciers increase iceberg sightings and reshape deep-sea habitats
The number of icebergs in the Arctic has increased sharply since the 2000s. This is due to the destabilization of large glaciers in northeast Greenland and parts of the Russian Arctic, as well as the increasing mobility of sea ice. The result: Stones rain down from the melting icebergs, forming new hard-substrate habitats for marine life on the soft seafloor.
·United Kingdom
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Rocks falling from melting icebergs host deep-sea oases of biodiversity
A ripple effect of climate change is providing habitat for corals, sponges and other Arctic animals. A ripple effect of climate change is providing habitat for corals, sponges and other Arctic animals.
·United Kingdom
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Total News Sources34
Leaning Left3Leaning Right9Center12Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
13%
C 50%
R 37%
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