They added: ‘These findings indicate that the subglacial brine\u2013fed system at the Taylor Glacier Terminus retains marine\u2013derived biological signatures long after physical separation from the ocean.’<\/p>\n
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The eerie crimson waterfall, which pours from the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney, has long fascinated researchers with its blood\u2013like appearance<\/p>\n
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A new study suggests the iron\u2013rich brine emerging from beneath the ice is home to a unique community of marine microorganisms that have been trapped beneath the glacier for hundreds of thousands of years. Pictured: The study area<\/p>\n
Blood Falls gets its terrifying colour from iron\u2013rich salty water that rusts when it reaches the air, creating its distinctive blood\u2013red stain across the glacier.<\/p>\n
Scientists have long suspected the brine was once seawater that flooded Taylor Valley during a warmer period before sea levels dropped and the glacier advanced over it.<\/p>\n
Until now, however, there has been little biological proof that the trapped water really had a marine origin.<\/p>\n
Researchers analysed 167 samples of water, sediment, ice and air collected from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and surrounding areas of Antarctica.<\/p>\n
Using DNA sequencing, they identified thousands of different microorganisms living in and around Blood Falls.<\/p>\n
The team discovered that the red ice, mud and sediments where the waterfall emerges were packed with species normally found in marine environments rather than on land or in freshwater.<\/p>\n
Overall, 9.34 per cent of the microorganisms at Blood Falls were shared with nearby ocean samples, compared with just 1.15 per cent at other Antarctic Dry Valley sites.<\/p>\n
The researchers say this strong marine fingerprint would be difficult to explain by wind blowing microbes inland from the coast.<\/p>\n
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The team discovered that the red ice, mud and sediments where the waterfall emerges were packed with species normally found in marine environments rather than on land or in freshwater<\/p>\n
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The microbes included diatoms \u2013 glass\u2013shelled algae that form the foundation of marine food webs (left).\u00a0There were also dinoflagellates, microscopic plankton that propel themselves through the water using whip\u2013like tails (right)<\/p>\n
What sea creatures are stuck beneath the ice? <\/p>\n
Diatoms: Microscopic algae encased in intricate shells made of glass\u2013like silica. They drift through oceans and freshwater, produce oxygen through photosynthesis and form the base of many aquatic food chains.<\/p>\n
Haptophytes: Tiny single\u2013celled algae that also photosynthesise. They are an important part of the ocean’s plankton and play a key role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Dinoflagellates: Microscopic plankton that propel themselves through the water using whip\u2013like tails called flagella. Some make their own food using sunlight, while others hunt prey, and certain species are responsible for harmful ‘red tides’.<\/p>\n
Ciliates: Single\u2013celled organisms covered in hundreds of tiny hair\u2013like structures called cilia, which they use to swim and sweep bacteria and other microscopic food into their mouths. They are common in both freshwater and marine environments.<\/p>\n
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The study also found many of the microorganisms are still biologically active despite surviving in one of Earth’s most hostile environments.<\/p>\n
Genetic evidence showed they were carrying out photosynthesis, repairing damaged cells and activating stress\u2013response systems to cope with the freezing, salty conditions beneath the ice.<\/p>\n
Some species may survive by entering dormant states, effectively lying in wait until conditions become favourable again.<\/p>\n
The microbes included diatoms \u2013 glass\u2013shelled algae that form the foundation of marine food webs \u2013 and haptophytes, which are tiny single\u2013celled algae that are an important part of the ocean’s plankton.<\/p>\n
There were also dinoflagellates, microscopic plankton that propel themselves through the water using whip\u2013like tails, and ciliates \u2013 single\u2013celled organisms covered in hundreds of tiny hair\u2013like structures called cilia.<\/p>\n
Researchers say these hidden ecosystems could reveal how life survives through dramatic climate shifts over hundreds of thousands of years.<\/p>\n
The findings may also help scientists reconstruct Antarctica’s ancient history by revealing when seawater became trapped beneath the growing ice sheet.<\/p>\n
Since Blood Falls preserves biological traces of an ancient marine world hidden beneath the frozen continent, the team says it offers a rare glimpse into ecosystems that have remained isolated ever since Antarctica’s landscape was transformed by advancing glaciers.<\/p>\n
The red waterfall stands about five storeys high in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Antarctica, which is known as being one of the coldest and least habitable places in the world.<\/p>\n
It was first discovered in 1911 by the Australian geologist Griffith Taylor, who first explored the valley.<\/p>\n
Blood Falls is the coldest known glacier\u2013fed feature with persistently flowing water, which emerges at a temperature of about \u20137\u00b0C (19\u00b0F).<\/p>\n
The lake under the glacier has an unusually salty consistency, and because saltwater has a lower freezing point than pure water and releases heat as it freezes, it melts the ice, enabling the rivers to flow.<\/p>\n