Antarctica was considered an inhospitable region due to its harsh climate. Antarctica being the fifth-largest continent on the surface has an area of more than 14 million square Km. The new research sheds light on the possible life beneath this large continent. The scientists have now gone on to speculate that the Ice-covered continent may contain a large area of the algae that lives under the ice permanently.
Algae Living Under Ice
The research was conducted by a team of scientists from Brown University in the US and the University of Auckland in New Zealand and published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. The ice above permits light to enter even in the winter, enabling algae to undergo photosynthesis all year round, the study revealed.
5 Million Square Km
Scientists claimed that the life of the algae spans almost 5 million square km beneath the surface of the continent. Sea ice in the continent has few spots of openings in between, allowing light to go inside.
