Diatoms and the Ecological Conditions of Their Growth in Sea Ice in the Arctic Ocean

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Meguro, Hiroshi, Ito, Kuniyuki, Fukushima, Hiroshi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1966
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Barrow; Point Barrow; Sea ice; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.152.3725.1089; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.152.3725.1089

A summer field survey off Point Barrow, Alaska, revealed that Arctic sea ice develops a growth of phytoplanktonic diatoms. The diatoms are found in a brine solution in microfissures between ice crystals on the underside of the ice. The chlorophyll content of this layer is 100 times more than that of the surrounding sea waters; this has led to a hypothesis that a considerable fraction of the primary production of the Arctic Sea may be carried out in sea ice, especially during the spring and early summer months.