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Researchers found kelp rafts that drifted to the shores of Antarctica 12,000 miles away. The humble seaweed trip is the first evidence that Antarctica is not so isolated after all. ( Crid Fraser / ANU )
Huge rafts of a large brown seaweed called kelp have found their way to the icy and frozen shores of Antarctica after traveling thousands of kilometers away from warmer waters.
The Australian National University of Canberra thinks that this is the first evidence that Antarctica is not as isolated from the rest of the Earth as previously believed.
The discovery sheds new light on how experts understand the current state of Antarctica in the future and how climate change comes into play.
Impenetrable Antarctic
During years, the experts believed that Antarctica housed plant and animal species distinct from other species in the world because of its isolation. , the latest findings show that differences in flora and fauna were caused by extreme environmental conditions in the South Pole than anything else.
In a new study released The Australian team of researchers says that kelp rafts have floated for more than 12,000 miles to settle on the icy Antarctic beach.
It was once thought that travel was impossible because of strong polar winds and surface currents that create a seemingly impenetrable barrier around the continent.
An analysis of algal specimens however shows that some of the kelp drifted from the Kerguelen Islands in the South Indian Ocean and South Georgia. "This is an unequivocal demonstration that northern marine species can reach Antarctica," says lead author Crid Fraser of the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society
. Antarctic storms come into play.
19659006] The 12,000 mile journey is currently the largest known example of oceanic dispersal of biological material, according to researchers.
It is likely that kelp arrived in Antarctica on the back of the giant waves produced by southern storms
"To get there, kelp had to cross the barriers created by polar winds and currents until it reached the sea. then impenetrable, "says Fraser
The findings of the study upset all that experts know about oceanic dispersion at the South Pole
The dominant theory was that strong Antarctic winds and surface currents repel all objects to the north. However, computer modeling done by co-investigator Adele Morrison of the Australian Research Council's Center for Excellence in Extreme Climate shows that this is not the case
When storms are included in the 39, the theory of impenetrable barriers collapse. The modeling shows how the large waves generated by the storms could help the rafts reach Antarctica.
"Once we incorporated the wave-driven surface motion, particularly pronounced during storms, some of these rafts could suddenly be retrieved. Morrison
Implications for Climate Change
Marine biologist Erasmo Macaya of the University of Concepción in Chile found kelp washed up on the shores of Antarctica.
He says that huge tufts of seaweed can act as biological rafts for smaller marine life because kelp moves to the southern regions.
This has huge implications for climate change, since plants and animals drifting to Antarctica can easily establish. the south pole becomes warmer and more favorable to other life forms.
The new research will also be useful in other areas, such as the traceability of plastic garbage dumped into the ocean and the debris of aircraft accidents.
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