Bioconditioning of Arctic Waters and Stimulation of Arctic Phytoplankton by Sea Ice Algae: Vulnerability to Increased Light

Arctic sea ice algae produce extracellular organic products, which, as bioconditioners of seawater, may stimulateearly summer growth of pelagic, under-sea-ice phytoplankton in low light and low temperature conditions. Sea ice algae are inhibited or decline in numbers if prematurely exposed to high l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Author: Apollonio, Spencer
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/70047
Description
Summary:Arctic sea ice algae produce extracellular organic products, which, as bioconditioners of seawater, may stimulateearly summer growth of pelagic, under-sea-ice phytoplankton in low light and low temperature conditions. Sea ice algae are inhibited or decline in numbers if prematurely exposed to high light conditions, thereby reducing their ability to produce bioconditioners. As climate change creates an early reduction or removal of snow and sea ice cover, the result may be adecrease in primary phytoplankton production. Les algues de la glace de mer de l’Arctique produisent des matières organiques extracellulaires. À titre de bioconditionneurs de l’eau de mer, elles peuvent stimuler la croissance estivale précoce de phytoplancton pélagique sous la glace de mer par basse température et faible luminosité. La quantité d’algues de glace de mer est freinée ou diminuée en présence prématurée de forte luminosité, ce qui diminue leur aptitude à produire des bioconditionneurs. Puisque le changement climatique donne lieu à la réduction ou au retrait précoce de la couverture de neige et de glace de mer, cela pourrait entraîner ladiminution de la production du phytoplancton primaire.