Understanding the evolution of the polar sea ice is not enough to study the effects of the climate change on marine ecosystems in Antarctic seafloors.
Understanding the evolution of the polar sea ice is not enough to study the effects of the climate change on marine ecosystems in Antarctic seafloors. It is also necessary to determine the intensity of phytoplankton local production during the Antarctic summer, as stated in a new study by a research team of the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the UB, published in the journal Marine Environmental Research.
When the sea freezes in Antarctica
Extremely low temperatures, strong ocean currents and the broad seasonal coverage of marine ice are factors that determine the features of the Antarctic marine ecosystems. IN particular, the seasonality regarding the ice formation in the marine surface is a process that directly affects the dynamics of the marine ecosystems and the flow of matter and energy in complex Antarctic trophic networks. During the Antarctic winter, the ice and snow that accumulate limit the availability of light, and as a result, this reduces the activity of photosynthetic organisms and the production of krill (basic food resource within the food network in Antarctic marine ecosystems).
Read more at: University of Barcelona
The Antarctic peninsula is the most affected area by climate change in the white continent. (Photo Credit: Lluís Cardona (UB-IRBio))
