Britain-led expedition to investigate newly exposed Antarctic ecosystem

LONDON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) announced Monday that an international team led by its researchers will start the journey to Antarctica this week, where they will investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem beneath an ice shelf.

The team, consists of researchers from nine research institutes, will set sail from Stanley in the Falkland Islands on Feb. 21 to spend three weeks on board the BAS research ship RRS James Clark Ross.

The iceberg known as A-68 calved off from the Larsen Ice Shelf in July 2017. The team will collect samples from the newly exposed seabed, which covers an area of around 5,818 square kilometers, according to the BAS.

The team will also record any marine mammals and birds that might have moved into the area. Their findings are expected to provide a picture of what life under the ice shelf was like so that changes to the ecosystem can be tracked.

The calving of A-68 provides researchers with a unique opportunity to study marine life as it responds to a dramatic environmental change, said Marine biologist Katrin Linse from British Antarctic Survey.

"It's important we get there quickly before the undersea environment changes as sunlight enters the water and new species begin to colonize," Linse also said. Enditem