Ozone Depletion: Ultraviolet Radiation and Phytoplankton Biology in Antarctic Waters

The springtime stratospheric ozone (O 3 ) layer over the Antarctic is thinning by as much as 50 percent, resulting in increased midultraviolet (UVB) radiation reaching the surface of the Southern Ocean. There is concern that phytoplankton communities confined to near-surface waters of the marginal i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Smith, R. C., Prézelin, B. B., Baker, K. S., Bidigare, R. R., Boucher, N. P., Coley, T., Karentz, D., MacIntyre, S., Matlick, H. A., Menzies, D., Ondrusek, M., Wan, Z., Waters, K. J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1992
Subjects:
Antarctic
Austral
Bellingshausen Sea
Southern Ocean
The Antarctic
Antarc*
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1546292
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.1546292
Description
Summary:The springtime stratospheric ozone (O 3 ) layer over the Antarctic is thinning by as much as 50 percent, resulting in increased midultraviolet (UVB) radiation reaching the surface of the Southern Ocean. There is concern that phytoplankton communities confined to near-surface waters of the marginal ice zone will be harmed by increased UVB irradiance penetrating the ocean surface, thereby altering the dynamics of Antarctic marine ecosystems. Results from a 6-week cruise (Icecolors) in the marginal ice zone of the Bellingshausen Sea in austral spring of 1990 indicated that as the O 3 layer thinned: (i) sea surface- and depth-dependent ratios of UVB irradiance (280 to 320 nanometers) to total irradiance (280 to 700 nanometers) increased and (ii) UVB inhibition of photosynthesis increased. These and other Icecolors findings suggest that O 3 -dependent shifts of in-water spectral irradiances alter the balance of spectrally dependent phytoplankton processes, including photoinhibition, photoreactivation, photoprotection, and photosynthesis. A minimum 6 to 12 percent reduction in primary production associated with O 3 depletion was estimated for the duration of the cruise.

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