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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]
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