Ships from more than 1,500 ports in Antarctica pose a threat to the mainland's pristine marine ecosystem. This is evidenced by the results of a study of the activities of scientific, fishing and tourist vessels that regularly visit Antarctica, the BBC reports..

The threat is that various living organisms (including mussels, shells, crabs and algae) that are able to survive in Antarctica are attached to the hulls of ships during travel. If they begin to breed in Antarctica, the chemical composition of water and food chains there will be disrupted, as a result of which some local animals will begin to die out..

British Antarctic Survey calls for improved biosafety protocols to protect Antarctic waters, which means more camera inspection and cleaning of ship hulls.

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More than 70,000 people visited Antarctica during the 2019-2020 season, according to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators.. And while the pandemic has disrupted the industry, that number has grown steadily since the 1950s..

In early 2021, scientists drilled the Filchner-Ronne Antarctic Ice Shelf in the southeast of the Weddell Sea and discovered previously unknown life forms underneath..