\u201cSome of the icebergs were carrying unusually large amounts of debris and looked almost black from above.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Schematic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Schematic-showing-how-melting-icebergs-deposit-rocks-that-support-life-on-the-Arctic-seafloor-1200x1.webp\")
Schematic showing how melting icebergs deposit rocks that support life on the Arctic seafloor. Credit: Nature<\/p>\n
The observation prompted researchers to investigate where all of that rocky material eventually ended up. The answer was found far below the surface. As icebergs melt, the rocks and sediments trapped inside them sink to the seabed. These deposits, known as dropstones, can remain on the ocean floor long after the ice has disappeared.<\/p>\n
Icebergs Help Build Seafloor Habitats<\/p>\n
The team relied on AWI\u2019s Hausgarten Observatory, a network of 21 underwater observation stations in the Fram Strait, to study what happens after the rocks reach the seabed.<\/p>\n
Images collected from the observatory revealed thriving communities developing around the dropstones. Researchers documented soft corals, sea anemones, sea stars, sponges and bryozoans attached to or living near the rocks. These habitats are becoming more common as new stones are deposited on the seafloor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere previously there were only isolated stones of various sizes, we are now finding much larger accumulations, frequently in small groups,\u201d marine biologist Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser <\/a>said in a statement released by AWI, adding that: \u201cas a result, biodiversity in the deep sea is increasing.\u201d <\/p>\n The findings drew attention beyond the research team. Speaking to Nature<\/a>, marine biologist Bodil Bluhm<\/a> of UiT The Arctic University of Norway described the discovery as a \u201c\u2018wow\u2019 example for how incredibly connected different parts of our planet are.\u201d<\/p>\n Tracing the Path From Ice to Seafloor<\/p>\n To understand where the rocks originated, researchers reconstructed the paths of the debris-rich icebergs using satellite imagery. Most were traced back to glaciers in northeastern Greenland, while others appeared to come from the Russian High Arctic.<\/p>\n As explained by the study team, satellite coverage over Russian glaciers was too limited to determine whether climate change has influenced iceberg production there. Greenland provided clearer evidence, allowing scientists to observe how glaciers collect rocks as they move across land before releasing them into the sea through calving.<\/p>\n The team also collected samples from stones <\/a>found on the seabed and compared them with material observed on the icebergs. The mineral compositions matched, reinforcing the link between the dropstones and the glaciers that carried them into the ocean.<\/p>\n![\"Whoi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WHOI-biologist-Kirstin-Meyer-Kaiser-and-fellow-researchers-examine-an-iceberg-covered-in-rocky-debri.webp\")
WHOI biologist Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser and fellow researchers examine an iceberg covered in rocky debris in the Fram Strait, June 2021. Credit: Mario Hoppman<\/p>\n![\"Seafloor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Seafloor-images-and-data-showing-an-increase-in-dropstone-abundance-and-associated-marine-life-in-th.webp\")
Seafloor images and data showing an increase in dropstone abundance and associated marine life in the Fram Strait between 2015 and 2017. Credit: Nature<\/p>\n