Jun 29, 2007 Antarctic icebergs become hotspots for ocean life
As global temperatures rise, Antarctic ice shelves are shrinking
and splitting to produce thousands of free-drifting icebergs. A
study has now shown that these icebergs have a major impact on
the ecology of the Southern Ocean and are becoming areas that
enhance the production and storage of organic carbon. The
icebergs are essentially ecological "hotspots" for ocean life,
supporting flourishing communities of seabirds, phytoplankton,
krill and fish. "Our preliminary studies suggest that free-
drifting icebergs and their associated communities could serve
as areas of increased production and sequestration of organic
carbon to the deep sea," Kenneth Smith of the Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research Institute in California, US, told
environmentalresearchweb. "While the melting of Antarctic ice
shelves is contributing to rising sea levels and other climate-
change dynamics, this additional role of removing carbon from
the atmosphere may have implications for