Because Sea Squirts are Tunicates.
Tunicates are members of the Phylum Cordata (click on). Phylum Cordata includes mammals including humans. So, in some ways, finding 'sea squirts' in the waters of the demised ice shelves of Antarctica is like finding a family member to humans.
Exotic animals - in Antarctica (click on)
Washington - Spindly orange sea stars, fan-finned ice fish and herds of roving sea cucumbers are among the exotic creatures spied off the Antarctic coast in an area formerly covered by ice, scientists have reported..
This is the first time explorers have been able to catalogue wildlife where two mammoth ice shelves used to extend for some 10 000 square kilometres over the Weddell Sea.
At least 5 000 years old, the ice shelves collapsed in two stages over the last dozen years. One crumbled 12 years ago and the other followed in 2002.
Global warming is seen as the culprit behind the ice shelves' demise, said Gauthier Chapelle of the Polar Foundation in Brussels.
"These kind of collapses are expected to happen more," he said. "What we're observing here is probably going to happen elsewhere around Antarctica." ALSO REALIZE, the biotic environment these species thrived under is gone. The Larson Ice Shelves are destroyed by Human Induced Global Warming. That means these very species are endangered by the fact their supportive ecosystem is destroyed. One of the understandings of major USA legislation that seeks to protect them is The
Endangered Species Act (click on). Although I site the link here, does mean I endorse the link. The USA under Bush has been covertly undermining the authority of the acts for six years now and who knows what they may have done to them.
But, that say, realize this 'cornerstone' legislation REQUIRES identifying all species that face endangerment of extinction. Now, that the Larsen Ice Sheet has collapsed, along with it, collapses the ecosystem that supported these species. All the species now readily accessible to scientists have to be identified and protections rendered.
These species were in 'majority' known to scientists. They knew there was a lot of life under the ice. Anchor ice of Antarctica (which I will not above this entry.) carries alot of life within it and surrounding it. There is a phenomena knows as
Ice Rafting (click on) which is clearly illustrated in this link; that would allow folks to understand that creatures living under the Larsen Ice Shelves also migrated. Not necessarily by 'intent' but by 'opportunity.' Many of these life forms could be found 'a drift' in the Falkland Islands and the islands surrounding Antarctica. Some of the species, I think it is about 25% are newly classified and are 'resident' to those waters below Larsen B.
So, although all these 'finds' are very, very interesting. The mission of the scientists are more a survival mission than one of fascination.
TO TAKE THIS ONE STEP FURTHER. "Stay tuned"
Huge polar study ready to begin (click on)
The largest polar research programme for 50 years gets under way this week.
International Polar Year (IPY) will see thousands of scientists, from more than 60 nations, working together on 220 projects at high latitudes.
Scientists hope to improve their understanding of how changes to the polar regions affect the planet.
IPY will be officially launched in Paris on 1 March, but the UK's programme, involving 65 institutions, was unveiled on Monday in London.
IPY actually runs for two years in order to allow equal coverage of both the Arctic and the Antarctic.
It is organised by the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). THIS IS AS MUCH about 'documenting' than any aspect that is science. It might also be noted, there are certain 'molecules' ALREADY found in Antarctica waters that may prove to fight cancers. So this is no small venture.
