A wide diversity of marine life, that may include previously unknown species, flourishes in a region of ocean once hidden beneath a thick cover of ice, finds a recently-returned Antarctic expedition co-led by a UCL researcher.

Using the institute’s ROV SuBastian to reach the newly exposed seafloor, the team found a wide abundance of life below the shelf, including sponges, icefish, giant seaspiders, octopus and large, slow-growing cup corals, some of which may be newly discovered to science.

Co-chief scientist Dr Patricia Esquete of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, said: "We didn’t expect to find such a beautiful, thriving ecosystem. Based on the size of the animals, the communities we observed have been there for decades, maybe even hundreds of years.”