Scottish scientists from the University of Edinburgh have found that phytoplankton protects Antarctic ice shelves from melting during the height of the polar summer. The study was published in the scientific journal Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans (JGRO).
The team studied how green microalgae alter ocean heat flows and affect sea ice in the Amundsen Sea.
The researchers combined the MITgcm fluid circulation model with the BLING biogeochemical process model and tracked how chlorophyll in phytoplankton scatters sunlight and affects environmental temperature.
Scientists have found that phytoplankton trap heat in the upper layer of seawater. However, this heat is dissipated back into the atmosphere during the summer.
Additionally, microalgae also provide shade for deep-sea areas, keeping them cool and limiting the impact of sunlight on nearby ice shelves.
As a result, sea ice melts 7% slower during blooms than when the water is free of microorganisms.
As Antarctic waters lose their sea ice cover, more and more areas of the sea surface will be exposed to sunlight. Microbes and other particles can influence how that sunlight impacts the ocean, and they deserve additional attention in future studies, the scientists noted.
