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
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 03 2017, @03:50AM (1 child)
They have, it isn't their fault that a lot of uneducated fools (and greedy bastards deliberately casting doubt) are too ignorant / stubborn to understand.
Some of the most basic facts are staring us in the face, the last decade has seen extreme weather patterns and record after record of "hottest year" being broken. Yet here we are, discussing these same facts with someone praying that the naysayers will get a clue and stop blocking others from trying to prepare for future hard times.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday April 03 2017, @05:24AM
They have, it isn't their fault that a lot of uneducated fools (and greedy bastards deliberately casting doubt) are too ignorant / stubborn to understand.
That's a fine line of bullshit, but it doesn't address the inability of certain scientists to rationally explain their work.
Some of the most basic facts are staring us in the face, the last decade has seen extreme weather patterns and record after record of "hottest year" being broken.
Even if/when that is true, so what? You need more facts than that, even when your facts really are facts.
Yet here we are, discussing these same facts with someone praying that the naysayers will get a clue and stop blocking others from trying to prepare for future hard times.
So you understand how I feel now.