A voyage to Antarctica's icy depths has revealed a rich array of marine life and geological features that may shed light on the region's past and future.
Isis, the UK's first deep-sea remote operated vehicle, combed the area's sea bed, diving up to 3.5km (two miles).
The vessel imaged diverse animals, such as king crabs, anemones and sponges. It also provided the first view of ancient "meltwater channels", which will aid understanding of the past and present Antarctic ice sheet.
The expedition to the Marguerite Bay area on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula marked the inaugural science mission for the Isis remote operated vehicle (ROV).
It is a region that is covered with ice for much of the year, and, until this expedition, its sea floor had never before been scanned in such detail at such extreme depths.
Professor Julian Dowdeswell, director of the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, was the principal investigator on the cruise. He told the BBC News website: "This mission exceeded our expectations in terms of both the performance of the ROV and the significance of the scientific data."
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Robo-sub takes Antarctic plunge 
21-Feb-2007, 04:53
ISIS ROV dives Antarctic 
