Arctic Icebergs Seed Hidden Coral Gardens on the Seafloor

Researchers using satellite imagery and a network of undersea sensors found that debris-laden icebergs drop dropstones onto the Arctic seafloor, creating hard substrates that enable new habitats for soft corals, sea anemones, sponges and bryozoans, boosting deep-sea biodiversity. Most icebergs traced to glaciers in northeastern Greenland and the Russian High Arctic, linking iceberg flux to warming. The findings also highlight navigational and bottom-trawling hazards from deposited rocks, a risk now prompting private firms to provide timely iceberg data to mariners.