Experts Capture Stunning Footage Of an Arctic Jellyfish Thriving Under the Ice

The vast oceans across the world hold many surprises, and some marine animals living underwater also capture our attention with their adaptable nature. From fish that glow in the dark waters to those that normally survive even in freezing water temperatures, the diversity is truly mind-blowing. In one such remarkable discovery in the Arctic region, scientists captured surprising footage of jellyfish thriving under the ice in 2017. This footage is even more exciting because the jellyfish species in question, C. melanaster (one of the Arctic's largest jellyfish species), were previously believed to be too fragile to survive in extreme winter conditions.

A popular marine biologist from Columbia University, Andy Juhl, and his team navigated the frozen landscape of the Chukchi Sea on snowmobiles. They drilled through the thick ice sheets and dropped a submersible into the frigid waters, capturing the hidden underwater world that humans rarely get to see, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine. The team captured a lively ecosystem of algae, crustaceans, and various comb jelly species, but the most surprising one was the presence of an adult jellyfish. The team reportedly found a total of 55 of these jellyfish, and all of them seemed to be full-grown adults in healthy condition.

As reported by Live Science, this species of jellyfish can grow a bell up to 24 inches, with around two dozen tentacles stretching nearly 10 feet. In the Arctic waters, these fish were often seen stretching their long tentacles along the seafloor, likely searching for food. Scientists previously thought these jellyfish spent winter as stationary polyps, but this footage proves otherwise. The researchers also suggest that the sea ice provides shelter to the jellyfish, protecting them from harsh storms, and the cold temperatures slow down their metabolism, enabling them to survive even on minimal food during the winter months.

Juhl said, "Life under sea ice is like living in a refrigerator—everything slows down." The researchers also wrote, "We believe that the prevalence of jellyfish and ctenophores living through the winter is greater than generally appreciated." Understanding this new phenomenon among the jellyfish gives scientists an idea about their population swings, too. Some years, we get to see only a few of these jellyfish, while sometimes they appear in such large numbers that they even get stuck in the fishing nets. Meanwhile, in the past few years, the Arctic region has faced historically low sea ice levels, mostly as a result of rapid climate change.

Therefore, researchers behind the study warned that these adult jellyfish populations may be far more vulnerable to these changing weather conditions than previously realized. They wrote, "Understanding the implications of changing sea-ice conditions will become increasingly important as coastal Arctic seas become more open to transportation, commercial fishing, oil and gas exploration, and other forms of commercial exploitation.” These human activities in the Arctic could have wide-ranging impacts, not only on the furry land animals like polar bears, but also on the gelatinous species moving beneath the frozen surface.

You can watch the video here.

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