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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: 3, Informative) by WalksOnDirt on Monday April 03 2017, @06:53AM

    by WalksOnDirt (5854) on Monday April 03 2017, @06:53AM (#488132) Journal

    AR4 projections of sea level rise were almost certainly too low. They ignored glacial melting since it wasn't really known. The revised figures for AR5 were 26-82 cm. 2100 is not nearly long enough for the sea level to reach equilibrium even if we held greenhouse gasses steady, which we have no hope of doing for decades.

    Not that I think even 82 cm would be that bad if it happens over 83 years. The bigger threats are droughts and ocean acidification.

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