Brittle stars are a very important part of seafloor communities around Antarctica.
Antarctica, wild geese and ash plumes
26 April 2010
You could be forgiven for thinking the freezing seas around Antarctica are pretty barren and lifeless. But, as Richard Hollingham soon finds out, this couldn't be further from the truth.
The Census of Marine Life is building up a picture of the richness and diversity of life in the world's oceans and has so far found thousands of species on shelves around the frozen continent. Incredibly, scientists are still finding new species.
At this rate, researchers will soon have documented 17,000 species living on coastal shelves in the region. Richard meets British Antarctic Survey researcher Huw Griffiths to find out more.
Later, hear why the recent Icelandic volcano presented scientists with a unique opportunity to study the ash cloud. Also, find out how a ground-breaking study has revealed where giant sauropod dinosaurs preferred to live.
Listen
Click the play button above to listen now.
Finally, in the first of our audio diaries, we hear from a bird ecologist in Ireland who talks us through exactly how you go about tagging geese migrating to the Arctic.
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Keywords:
Antarctic,
Biodiversity,
Environmental change,
Geology,
Polar,
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