Seals with funny hats discovered a hidden canyon over a mile deep under Antarctica and scientists want to honor the animals by naming it after them
Maiya Focht
·3-min read
One of the scientists said the seals they adhered trackers to were "heroes."Robert Harcourt, IMOS Animal Tagging
Scientists put trackers on Antarctic seals to help them map the ocean floor.
The deep-diving seals uncovered a massive underwater canyon more than a mile deep.
This canyon may help scientists predict how the Antarctic ice sheet will react to the climate crisis.
Seals wear many hats — ambassadors for the Antarctic, friends to whales, and award-winning models. Their new hat has a scientific purpose, helping researchers discover the unseen parts of the ocean floor.
By strapping devices that measure depth, temperature, and salt levels to seals' heads, scientists discovered a huge underground canyon in Vincennes Bay in Antarctica that stretches up to 7,217 feet deep, or about 1.3 miles.
Clive McMahon, one of the ecologists at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science who ran the study, said the seals were "heroes" in an email to Insider.
To highlight their heroics, the scientists suggested naming the canyon Mirounga-Nuyina, after the scientific name for the elephant-seal species, in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.
These seal scientists aren't just helping us map unknown parts of the ocean; they're also helping scientists predict how the Antarctic ice sheet might react to the climate crisis, according to the study.
What this canyon can show us about the future of Antarctica's icePerforming marine research in Antarctica can be complicated by intense weather.Joseph Marlow
Understanding ocean geography helps scientists predict how Antarctica's ice sheet has reacted to global climate change in the past. Like how the Grand Canyon shows the pathway of an ancient river, these underwater features also give us an idea about how water moved in the past.
"By mapping these deep troughs and mountain ranges, we have therefore added a key piece of the puzzle to help understand how the East Antarctic Ice Sheet may have responded to past change and how it may do so in the future," Fausto Ferraccioli, who studies these underwater formations but was not involved in the study, told NBC.
They also give scientists an idea of the thinner points of the Antarctic ice sheets, cluing them into what is more at risk of melting. The researchers told the Australian Center for Excellence in Aquatic Science, which contributed to the study, that water from the canyon could move around the ice sheet, which might melt it more quickly when it's warmed by climate change.
"This knowledge is essential for scientists trying to measure ice-sheet melt rates," McMahon, the lead researcher on the paper, told the ACEAS.
How they got the hat on the seal The trackers were adhered to the fur on the seals head, which the researchers said shed annually.Clive McMahon, IMOS Animal Tagging
Because of extreme temperatures and pressure deep underwater, it's difficult to build and operate ships that can dive into the depths of the oceans and return intact. That's where deep-diving seals come in.
Antarctic seals, such as the 50 Weddell seals and 215 southern elephant seals they tagged, regularly travel to great depths of the ocean.
In 2021, the researchers from the seal study suggested that placing sensors on the animals, which were headed down into the water anyway, could be a cheaper and more effective way to map the features of the Antarctic Ocean.
They did this by attaching the sensors "with adhesive to the hair on the seals' heads." In response to concerns about the animal's well-being, the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, a partner in the study, said on X that seals shed this hair each year, which meant the seals performed their duty without any pain.
A newlywed on her honeymoon in The Bahamas was killed by a large shark while paddleboarding in the water near the five-star resort where she was staying.
The discovery solves a long-standing mystery about whether these creatures are ovoviviparous, meaning they can lay eggs inside their bodies and give birth to live young.
More than a quarter of people injected with mRNA Covid jabs suffered an unintended immune response created by a glitch in the way the vaccine was read by the body, a study has found.
Severe rain has caused a landslip on a rail line and major road closures which will see motorists and trains delayed until next week. Severe disruption has been felt across the country this week following heavy rain. And there was major chaos with roads closed and no trains in and out of Devon and Cornwall due to flooded train tracks. Though many roads are now open and most services have returned to normal, a landslip above the Crewkerne Tunnel in Somerset has meant Network Rail engineers must undergo repairs. Motorists have also been informed a major Somerset road will be affected for days by problems caused by flash flooding. National Highways set up a road closure on the A303 between the A3088 (Cartgate) and A359 (Sparkford). Network Rail and SWR are therefore urging customers not to attempt to travel between Salisbury and Exeter until Monday 11 December. Network Rail completed inspections late last night and early this morning to assess the situation before engineers began work using ropes to abseil down the cutting and start removing vegetation before beginning excavating debris. Over the coming days, Network Rail’s team of engineers will work around the clock to excavate around 100 tonnes of clay, soil and vegetation from around the tunnel entrance to help stabilise the cutting. Engineers are initially excavating by hand, lowering the debris to the track via chutes before its transported away on an engineering train. A long reach excavator will also be brought in and situated on top of the tunnel using an extra-long arm and bucket to help with the removal of the debris. As a result, SWR is unable to run services between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s and is urging customers not to attempt to travel on this route, particularly as severe flooding continues to impact the planned rail replacement bus services. Matt Pocock, Network Rail Wessex route director, said: “I would like to say how sorry we are for the disruption passengers are experiencing following a landslip at Crewkerne tunnel. “We’ve experienced over 90mm of sustained heavy rain over the past 48 hours and this has resulted in movement in the earth on the cutting above the tunnel entrance which, if action isn’t taken, could spill over onto the tracks and risk the safety of passenger services." Flooding has also limited travellers by car, as motorists have been informed a major Somerset road will be affected for days by problems caused by flooding. National Highways set up a road closure on the A303 between the A3088 (Cartgate) and A359 (Sparkford). Crews from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service joined highways officers at the scene to pump the water away. The Eastbound lane reopened on the morning of Wednesday 6 December. However, there are set to be further issues on Thursday 7 December, with more heavy rain forecast leading to a weather warning covering most of Somerset. Steve Tyler, South Western Railway’s Performance and Planning Director, added: “We’re really sorry that the emergency closure of Crewkerne tunnel means we won’t be able to serve stations between Salisbury and Exeter St David’s until Monday. “We know how disruptive this is for customers in run up to Christmas, so our teams are examining potential ways to run an extremely limited service between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction via Westbury in the coming days. "Please check our website for the latest updates.”
These drone pictures show the aftermath of a flooded residential park that saw dozens of elderly residents forced to flee their homes. Emergency services were called to Primrose Hill Residential Park in Charlton Adam, Somerset, last night (Mon) to reports of severe flooding. There were concerns for the welfare of around 100 residents with many of the caravans on site flooded and others had lost electricity and water supplies. All the residents were checked over and many had to be extricated to dry land alongside their pets for further care and assistance. Aerial images taken this morning (Tues) after the rescues show water still engulfing around 30 caravans on the site. Among the large number of search teams to be deployed to help in the rescue was Wiltshire Search and Rescue. It's understood that water rescue specialists were initially alerted to the incident at around 9pm, with the peak of the flooding in the early hours of the morning overnight before levels began to drop. A spokesperson said: "On arrival, we were briefed about an emerging issue at a caravan park, with flood water up to 5’ deep in places, and the welfare of around 100 residents was unknown. Some of the caravans were flooded, and others had lost electricity or water supplies. "The five teams deployed and worked alongside the fire service to locate, assess, and where required extricate the mainly elderly residents and pets in boats. "Once back on dry land they were checked over by paramedics at a casualty collection point and then taken to a place of safety. "We train to the same flood rescue standards as all the emergency services in the UK. The importance of this was massively apparent last night; despite having never previously met the vast majority of those involved before, we were able to work together seamlessly, confidently and efficiently." Involved in the rescue was two flood teams who were rapidly formed consisting of Lowland Rescue volunteers from Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire, who were initially sent to a holding area at Yeovil police station. There they joined up with Mountain Rescue colleagues from Exmoor Search & Rescue who had also been tasked. Witnesses said the flood peaked overnight at waist height for residents and with the only way out blocked there was no option other than to use the boats. Footage this morning showed much of the site still underwater with an estimated 30 caravans impacted. A woman, who turned up to try to help her elderly relatives living on the site, said that police stopped her from accessing the area. "When I turned up last night my mum and dad were so distressed, really scared. "But the police had closed the road and it was too dangerous to get closer. "They said they had the situation under control. "We came back at 8am and spoke to some workers, they said everyone was accounted for and helped us get access to check in with them and they were okay thank God." One observer said: "You can see how bad it was just from the pictures this morning. It must have been a worrying time for everyone involved."
In around a billion years, the sun will become hot enough to boil all the oceans on Earth. A rogue star has a small chance of rescuing life on our planet, a study found.
Heavy rain is set to batter large parts of the country on Thursday, with the Met Office issuing 10 new weather warnings. Parts of southern, central and northern England, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are expected to experience downpours after days of ice and snow caused disruption, school closures and power cuts. A major incident was declared in Cumbria last week as hundreds were left without electricity after heavy snow.
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