Recently, scientists analyzed data from underwater moorings deployed in Antarctic waters and revealed for the first time a new migration pattern of Antarctic krill. The study found that the activity range and seasonal migration paths of these small crustaceans are changing as sea temperatures rise. This discovery has sparked significant attention within the scientific community and provides a novel biological indicator for monitoring global climate warming.
Antarctic krill are a keystone species in the Antarctic ecosystem, serving as a critical food source for marine life such as whales, penguins, and seals. Changes in their distribution and population size directly impact the stability of the entire polar food chain. In the past, scientists knew little about krill migration patterns, especially during the cold, ice-covered Antarctic winter, when firsthand data was virtually unavailable.
To address this gap, the research team deployed multiple high-precision underwater moorings in the waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. These moorings can continuously and stably record underwater temperature, salinity, water flow velocity, and biological acoustic signals, enabling ongoing monitoring of biological activity in the water column. By analyzing mooring data from the past five years, researchers unexpectedly discovered that Antarctic krill activity depth and migration timing are showing a clear trend toward "advancement" and "ascent."
The mooring data also revealed a quantitative association between krill migration and climate factors. The underwater mooring system deployed by China in the Amundsen Sea showed that for every 0.1°C increase in sea surface temperature, the start of spring migration for krill is advanced by 2.3 days, while a 10% increase in sea ice retreat rate results in an additional 47 kilometers of overwintering migration distance. These data have been incorporated into international climate models, making Antarctic krill another important climate indicator species following polar bears and coral reefs.
More importantly, the Antarctic krill population's response to changes in water temperature exhibits a certain degree of regularity, potentially serving as a "biological barometer" for global warming trends. By continuously monitoring changes in their migration patterns, it is hoped that more dynamic data can be provided to climate models, assisting scientists in more accurately predicting the pace and impacts of future global warming.
The research findings have been published in international journals, and the relevant data will be made available for global research institutions to access and share. Experts indicate that in the future, satellite remote sensing and automated underwater robot technology will be integrated to further deepen monitoring of Antarctic marine ecosystems. These underwater buoys, acting as "marine ecological sentinels," will transmit real-time krill migration data, providing critical support for predicting the evolution of the Southern Ocean ecosystem and assisting the international community in developing more precise climate adaptation strategies. This innovative research, which combines biological behavior studies with marine observation technology, is opening up new paradigms for polar climate change research.
