New Underwater Mountain Range Discovered by Australian Research Vessel

Scientists aboard the RV Investigator have discovered an underwater mountain range consisting of eight dormant volcanoes halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. The range reaches heights of 1,500 meters above the seafloor, with four of the volcanoes being new discoveries. The team believes the seamounts were formed by volcanoes arising from hot-spot magmatism within the last 20 million years. High-resolution mapping with the Investigator’s multibeam echosounder system allowed the researchers to survey down through layers of swirling currents to the seafloor 4,000 meters below.

The discovery is significant in advancing the understanding of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and how heat leaks across its natural barrier. This heat transfer from warmer, lower-latitude water contributes to melting Antarctic ice shelves. The team has been working to understand how this gateway works and how it may change in the future. They are also helping to calibrate the new SWOT satellite by simultaneously mapping fine-scale ocean features with the satellite and the vessel.

The research is crucial in understanding how the oceans absorb heat due to global warming and human CO2 emissions. The team is focused on understanding the impact of heat transfer on Antarctic ice melt and sea level rise.

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