Researchers are pleased that the unique ecosystem surrounding the rare ikaite columns in Southwest Greenland appears to be recovering. Underwater videos provide insight into the colorful life within the exceptional columns.
At the bottom of Ikkafjord in Southwest Greenland, approximately 1,000 columns rise from the fjord floor. An underwater monument unique to Greenland, as it is found nowhere else in the world. The mineral columns are up to 20 meters tall and 8 meters wide and host a diverse range of animal and plant life.
Since 1995, the international and interdisciplinary IKKA project has studied the remarkable mineral columns in Ikkafjord, Southwest Greenland. The columns are made of the mineral ikaite. This fragile substance can only exist in seawater below approximately 6 degrees Celsius.
They have been under threat, but now researchers from the project bring good news.
Underwater footage reveals the life of the columns
A series of underwater videos from last summer’s expedition offers a unique glimpse into the world of the columns.
“The columns are fantastic to observe underwater,” says Gabrielle J. Stockmann, a geologist and project leader of an ongoing study on the columns.
“White and yellowish columns of all shapes, teeming with a diverse array of animal and plant life. Sea urchins, in particular, love grazing on these columns and can spend the entire day climbing up and down them. A special ecosystem thrives inside the columns – an el dorado of bacteria and algae,” she explains.