An underwater robot has revealed a rare glimpse of the beautiful world lying underneath the Antarctic sea ice.
A camera attached to the robot by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) captured an underwater scene filled with coconut-shaped sponges, dandelion-like worms, pink algae and spidery starfish.
The remotely operated vehicle was sent down by scientists through a small hole drilled in the ice as they recorded the acidity, oxygen, salinity and temperature of the seawater.
Recorded near Australia's Casey research station, the footage shows what life is like for creatures living in water that is -1.5C (29.3F) all year round and covered in 1.5m (4.9ft) of sea ice for 10 months of the year.
AAD biologist Glenn Johnstone said: "When you think of the Antarctic coastal marine environment, the iconic species such as penguins, seals and whales usually steal the show.
"This footage reveals a habitat that is productive, colourful, dynamic and full of a wide variety of biodiversity, including sponges, sea spiders, urchins, sea cucumbers and sea stars.
"Occasionally an iceberg may move around and wipe out an unlucky community, but mostly the sea ice provides protection from the storms that rage above, making it a relatively stable environment in which biodiversity can flourish."
Scientists are in Antarctica to learn more about the impact of acidification on Southern Ocean sea-floor communities under increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
Project leader Johnny Stark said a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere was absorbed by the ocean, increasing acidity.
He said: "Carbon dioxide is more soluble in cold water and polar waters are acidifying at twice the rate of tropical or temperate regions.
"So we expect these ecosystems to be among the first impacted from ocean acidification."
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