Antarctic Marine Ecosystem

Antarctic Marine Ecosystem, the planet’s most pristine and extreme cold-water biome, thrives beneath seasonal ice shelves. Home to krill swarms (500 million tons), leopard seals, and emperor penguins, its food web relies on algae growing under ice. Protected by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, it faces threats from climate change (melting ice) and krill fishing. A natural laboratory for studying climate resilience, this fragile frozen frontier underscores Earth’s ecological interconnectedness.