currentsinbiology: Thinning Arctic Ice Is Breeding Dangerous Phytoplankton BloomsNot only is the e
currentsinbiology: Thinning Arctic Ice Is Breeding Dangerous Phytoplankton Blooms Not only is the extent of sea ice coverage in the Arctic shrinking, but the ice that remains is also becoming thinner. And that may be leading to significant changes in the ecosystem beneath the ice, with potentially profound consequences aquatic life in the Arctic over the coming years and decades. Each summer, as sea ice melts, surface water in the Arctic is bathed in sunlight, which triggers blooms of phytoplankton to develop along the ice edge. The blooms reach their maximum concentrations in September — when the amount of sea ice extent in the Arctic is at its lowest — because sea ice cover prevents sunlight from reaching the microscopic plants. Or so it was thought. It appears that climate change has created conditions in which greater expanses of the Arctic are conducive to phytoplankton blooms, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances. Thinner ice means more sunlight can penetrate the water column. And more sunlight means more phytoplankton, said lead author Christopher Horvat of Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Melt pools form on the surface of thinning Arctic sea ice. NASA -- source link