COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Key Arctic phototrophs are widespread in the polar night
Description: During the civil polar night, which in the Svalbard Archipelago lasts from the middle of November to the end of February, no light is present, thus providing photosynthetic organisms with the challenge of how to survive several months of darkness. The small green alga Micromonas pusilla and the haptophyte Phaeocystis pouchetii are two key phototrophs in the Arctic, commonly blooming during the arctic spring and summer. Their occurence in Arctic waters during the polar night period is, however, less well known. In the present study, researchers used a molecular approach to show that M. pusilla and P. pouchetii are widely distributed in Svalbard waters also at the height of the polar night. [Source: Polar Biology]
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1570-2
Availability: Summary
Source: Polar Biology
Publish Date: 1/1/2015
Reading Level: Expert
Page Length:  

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