NASA has discovered a massive algae bloom under Arctic ice.
In years past, as Arctic ice melted in the summer, algae multiplied and fed the Arctic ecosystem. A NASA expedition discovered that the timing has changed. The algae are blooming earlier.
This is partially because of thinning ice in the Arctic. Ultraviolet light can pass through the ice much earlier in the year than it used to.
The earlier blooms can have significant implications for marine life that depends on it. Migrating sea animals that feed on the algae might show up to find that their food is past its peak. Scientists plan on looking at the impact on the worldwide ocean ecosystem.
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NASA Discovers Unprecedented Blooms Of Ocean Plant Life (via redOrbit)
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Scientists have made a biological discovery in Arctic Ocean waters as dramatic and unexpected as finding a rainforest in the middle of a desert. A NASA-sponsored expedition punched through three-foot thick sea ice to find waters richer in microscopic…
Sea ice photo via Shutterstock
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