Scientists discover new kind of seaweed 100m below surface in Antarctica

The research is said to be important for furthering our knowledge of the continent.
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to find seaweed in the waters of Antarctica (University of Aberdeen/PA)
Katrine Bussey28 November 2022

Scientists working in the Antarctic region have discovered a type of seaweed living at depths some 100 metres below the surface.

Researchers hailed the discovery of red alga Palmaria decipiens deep underwater as being “important for furthering our knowledge of Antarctica”.

The seaweed was discovered by a team working at the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island, off the south-western Antarctic Peninsula.

Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from a small boat, the researchers found the red alga Palmaria decipiens 100 metres below the surface, and successfully collected samples for further examination.

We now know that seaweeds can live at least down to 100 metres depth in Antarctica. That is quite a lot, but we can’t rule out that they may live even deeper

Professor Frithjof Kuepper, University of Aberdeen

The research, which was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), was a collaboration involving the University of Aberdeen, the University of Southampton, the British Antarctic Survey and the University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece.

With details now published in the journal Polar Biology, Professor Frithjof Kuepper of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Aberdeen spoke of the “huge role” seaweeds can play in protecting the environment.

Prof Kuepper explained: “We know that carbon capture will be crucial to limiting global warming as we move forward, and seaweeds sequester large amounts of CO2.

“Seaweeds have the potential to play a huge role in protecting the environment by storing carbon at the bottom of oceans when they die and reducing ocean acidification.”

He continued: “Seaweeds are also an important food source to numerous animals and fish and have been eaten by people in many coastal communities in parts of the world for centuries.

“Seaweeds have been used in a variety of cosmetic and pharmaceutical goods and with carbon-neutralising properties it represents a sustainable product.

“Finding Palmaria decipiens at 100 metres depth is important for furthering our knowledge of Antarctica, a continent that is so important to understand for addressing the environmental challenges the world faces today.”

The research team had set out to clarify the maximum depths that seaweed could grow at in Antarctica with Prof Kuepper stating: “We now know that seaweeds can live at least down to 100 metres depth in Antarctica. That is quite a lot, but we can’t rule out that they may live even deeper.”

Ben Robinson, of the British Antarctic Survey and University of Southampton added: “In Antarctica, icebergs scour and remove seaweed from the shallows, leading to lots of loose seaweed at depths where it is no longer attached to the seafloor.

“Due to cold temperatures, it can take many years for these loose seaweeds to even start breaking down, so we could not rely on appearance. Instead, we needed to use an ROV to test and collect seaweed to confirm whether they were attached to the seafloor and to confirm a new depth limit for seaweed.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in