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posted by on Sunday April 02 2017, @04:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the visit-the-scenic-algae-blooms-of-Antartica dept.

When spring arrives in the Arctic, both snow and sea ice melt, forming melt ponds on the surface of the sea ice. Every year, as global warming increases, there are more and larger melt ponds.

Melt ponds provide more light and heat for the ice and the underlying water, but now it turns out that they may also have a more direct and potentially important influence on life in the Arctic waters.

Mats of algae and bacteria can evolve in the melt ponds, which can provide food for marine creatures. This is the conclusion of researchers in the periodical, Polar Biology.

More information:
Heidi Louise Sørensen et al. Nutrient availability limits biological production in Arctic sea ice melt ponds, Polar Biology (2017). DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2082-7


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  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Sunday April 02 2017, @07:58PM

    by Gaaark (41) on Sunday April 02 2017, @07:58PM (#488010) Journal

    And will they be orange with small tentacles/tendrils, or will they be slimy and made of cardboard (and have a mate who runs onto the tarmac to meet with King Neptune)?

    Yeah, yeah... Off topic politics...

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