"Astonishing Richness" Found in Polar Sea Life

Researchers working on the Census of Marine Life project have documented 7500 species living in the Antarctic as well as 5500 in the Arctic, hundreds of which may be new to science.

The census revealed an "astonishing richness" of species comparable to tropical environments in polar areas that were formerly believed to have less biodiversity. The study also revealed dozens of species common to both areas, leaving researchers unable to explain the commonalities in environments separated by 7000 miles of warmer oceans. As many as 235 distinct species were found common to both polar regions, including five whale species, six sea bird species and over 100 species of crustaceans.

Most of the species discovered were simple invertebrates, some living at ocean depths of up to 9800 feet. The ten-year project involves 500 polar scientists from 25 different countries supported by governments and conservation societies.

These results were announced February 15th by the Census of Marine Life, which is scheduled for final publication in 2010.

Source: Yahoo!