The Spectacular Antarctic Seafloor
Sandhoppers are one of a number of wild creatures found on the seafloor of the Southern Ocean. Scientists have sent robots and even gone diving themselves to see what lives in what, you might think, would be one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Yet under the Antarctic sea ice, where saltwater temperatures can dip below freezing, life finds a way.
In fact, it doesn’t just find a way; it flourishes. The stunning sea stars, sponges, and other creatures that live on the oceanfloor actually use the ice cover to their advantage. It protects from the storms that can roil the ocean, allowing for unique ecosystems to pop up in technicolor. In that light, amphipods fit right in.
