AI Article Synopsis
- A significant phytoplankton bloom was observed beneath thick sea ice in the Chukchi Sea, challenging the belief that such blooms only occur in ice-free waters.
- The bloom had a high concentration of diatoms and demonstrated rapid growth and primary production rates.
- Researchers indicate that under-ice blooms could be common in nutrient-rich Arctic regions, suggesting that current satellite estimates of primary production in these areas are likely much lower than the actual amounts, potentially by a factor of ten.
Article Abstract
Phytoplankton blooms over Arctic Ocean continental shelves are thought to be restricted to waters free of sea ice. Here, we document a massive phytoplankton bloom beneath fully consolidated pack ice far from the ice edge in the Chukchi Sea, where light transmission has increased in recent decades because of thinning ice cover and proliferation of melt ponds. The bloom was characterized by high diatom biomass and rates of growth and primary production. Evidence suggests that under-ice phytoplankton blooms may be more widespread over nutrient-rich Arctic continental shelves and that satellite-based estimates of annual primary production in these waters may be underestimated by up to 10-fold.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1215065 | DOI Listing |
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