{"id":39724,"date":"2025-03-24T19:12:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T13:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=39724"},"modified":"2025-03-24T19:12:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T13:42:51","slug":"george-vi-ice-shelf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/24-03-2025\/george-vi-ice-shelf","title":{"rendered":"George VI Ice Shelf"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Syllabus: GS1\/ Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Scientists under the Challenger 150 initiative<\/strong> uncovered thriving deep-sea ecosystems beneath the George VI Ice Shelf in Antarctica.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    About George VI Ice Shelf<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Location<\/strong>: Situated in George VI Sound<\/strong>, separating Alexander Island<\/strong> from Palmer Land<\/strong>, adjacent to the Bellingshausen Sea<\/strong> in the Southern Ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Governance<\/strong>: Falls under the Antarctic Treaty System<\/strong>, with active research led by countries like the UK and USA<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Geographical Features<\/strong>:\n
        \n
      • Length: Extends from Ronne Entrance<\/strong> to Niznik Island<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Rich in floating ice shelves<\/strong>, subglacial ecosystems<\/strong>, and complex underwater geography<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Key Findings under Challenger 150 Initiative<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Flourishing Deep-Sea Ecosystems<\/strong>:\n
            \n
          • Discovery of large corals<\/strong>, sponges<\/strong>, icefish<\/strong>, and giant sea spiders<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Ecosystems survived despite being cut off from sunlight and surface <\/strong>nutrients for centuries.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • The presence of complex life in absence of known nutrient sources suggests unknown nutrient transport pathways<\/strong>, opening new avenues for research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • New Species Identified<\/strong>:\n
              \n
            • Giant phantom jellyfish<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Octopi<\/strong>, vase-shaped sponges<\/strong> (possibly centuries old), and sea spiders<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              About Deep-Sea Ecosystems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Definition<\/strong>: Marine ecosystems occurring below 200 metres<\/strong>, extending into the aphotic zone<\/strong>\u2014which comprises 90% of Earth\u2019s marine habitat<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Significant Habitats<\/strong>:\n
                  \n
                • Abyssal Plains<\/strong>: Support species like sea cucumbers<\/strong> sustained by marine sno<\/strong>w. Marine Snow<\/strong> are organic particles from upper layers, aiding food chains<\/strong> and carbon sequestration.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Hydrothermal Vents<\/strong>: Host chemosynthetic life<\/strong> (e.g., tubeworms<\/strong>, yeti crabs<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Whale Falls<\/strong>: Create temporary yet productive ecosystems (e.g., hagfish<\/strong>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Significance of the Discovery<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Scientific Relevance:<\/strong> Overshadow previous assumptions that extreme, nutrient-deprived environments cannot support complex life.\n
                      \n
                    • Opens new frontiers in marine biology, ecology, and geosciences<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Climate Change Insights: <\/strong>As polar ice shelves melt due to global warming, these ecosystems may undergo dramatic shifts.\n
                        \n
                      • Studying them helps understand ecosystem resilience<\/strong> and predict environmental responses<\/strong> to climate change.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Marine Conservation Imperative:<\/strong> Emphasizes the need for international frameworks<\/strong> to safeguard fragile marine biodiversity, particularly in the Southern Ocean<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                        International Cooperation & Ocean Decade<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • The Chall<\/strong>enger 150 programme<\/strong> is part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021\u20132030)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • It underscores the role of multilateral scientific collaboration<\/strong> in exploring and conserving the deep ocean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Endorsed by UNESCO\/IOC<\/strong>, the initiative aligns with global sustainable development goals, especially SDG 14 (Life Below Wat<\/strong>er)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          Scientists under the Challenger 150 initiative uncovered thriving deep-sea ecosystems beneath the George VI Ice Shelf in Antarctica.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39724"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39725,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39724\/revisions\/39725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}