COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Melt pond "skylights" enable massive under-ice bloom in Arctic
Description: For much of the winter, the land within the Arctic Circle receives little direct sunlight*, and most of the surface of the Arctic Ocean is capped by ice. Beneath the ice cover, phytoplankton-the microscopic, plant-like organisms that underpin the entire ocean food web-take a "long winter's nap." When the Sun returns and the ice retreats, it's like a cover being drawn off the roof of a greenhouse. Along the edge of the retreating ice cover, the surface water explodes with blooms of phytoplankton. [Source: ClimateWatch Magazine]
URL: http://www.climatewatch.noaa.gov/article/2012/melt-pond-skylights-enable-massive-under-ice-bloom-in-arctic
Availability: Full Text
Source: ClimateWatch Magazine
Publish Date: 12/11/2012
Reading Level: Basic
Page Length:  

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