Shine a light: under-ice light and its ecological implications in a changing Arctic Ocean

Giulia Castellani; Gaëlle Veyssière; Michael Karcher; Julienne Stroeve; S. Neil Banas; A. Heather Bouman; S. Andrew Brierley; Stacey Connan; Finlo Cottier; Fabian Große; Laura Hobbs; Christian Katlein; Bonnie Light; David McKee; Andrew Orkney; Roland Proud; Vibe Schourup-Kristensen

doi:10.1007/s13280-021-01662-3

Shine a light: under-ice light and its ecological implications in a changing Arctic Ocean

Giulia Castellani, Gaëlle Veyssière, Michael Karcher, Julienne Stroeve, S. Neil Banas, A. Heather Bouman, S. Andrew Brierley, Stacey Connan, Finlo Cottier, Fabian Große, Laura Hobbs, Christian Katlein, Bonnie Light, David McKee, Andrew Orkney, Roland Proud, Vibe Schourup-Kristensen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

27 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

The Arctic marine ecosystem is shaped by the seasonality of the solar cycle, spanning from 24-h light at the sea surface in summer to 24-h darkness in winter. The amount of light available for under-ice ecosystems is the result of different physical and biological processes that affect its path through atmosphere, snow, sea ice and water. In this article, we review the present state of knowledge of the abiotic (clouds, sea ice, snow, suspended matter) and biotic (sea ice algae and phytoplankton) controls on the underwater light field. We focus on how the available light affects the seasonal cycle of primary production (sympagic and pelagic) and discuss the sensitivity of ecosystems to changes in the light field based on model simulations. Lastly, we discuss predicted future changes in under-ice light as a consequence of climate change and their potential ecological implications, with the aim of providing a guide for future research.

Original language	English
Number of pages	11
Journal	Ambio
Early online date	25 Nov 2021
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01662-3
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 25 Nov 2021

Keywords

sea ice algae
Arctic ocean
phytoplankton
light transmission
primary production
Arctic ecosystem

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1007/s13280-021-01662-3Licence: CC BY 4.0

Castellani-etal-Ambio-2021-Shine-a-light-under-ice-light-and-its-ecological-implicationsFinal published version, 1.29 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

Mechanistic understanding of the role of diatoms in the success of the Arctic Calanus complex and implications for a warmer Arctic | Connan-McGinty, Stacey
McKee, D. (Principal Investigator), Banas, N. (Co-investigator) & Connan-McGinty, S. (Research Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/08/19 → 4/10/23
Project: Research - Internally Allocated
Primary production driven by escalating nutrient fluxes?
Banas, N. (Principal Investigator)
NERC (Natural Environment Research Council)
1/07/18 → 31/03/22
Project: Research
Arctic PRoductivity in the seasonal Ice ZonE (Arctic PriZE)
Banas, N. (Principal Investigator) & McKee, D. (Co-investigator)
NERC (Natural Environment Research Council)
1/05/17 → 1/07/22
Project: Research

Cite this

Castellani, G., Veyssière, G., Karcher, M., Stroeve, J., Banas, S. N., Bouman, A. H., Brierley, S. A., Connan, S., Cottier, F., Große, F., Hobbs, L., Katlein, C., Light, B., McKee, D., Orkney, A., Proud, R., & Schourup-Kristensen, V. (2021). Shine a light: under-ice light and its ecological implications in a changing Arctic Ocean. Ambio. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01662-3

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abstract = "The Arctic marine ecosystem is shaped by the seasonality of the solar cycle, spanning from 24-h light at the sea surface in summer to 24-h darkness in winter. The amount of light available for under-ice ecosystems is the result of different physical and biological processes that affect its path through atmosphere, snow, sea ice and water. In this article, we review the present state of knowledge of the abiotic (clouds, sea ice, snow, suspended matter) and biotic (sea ice algae and phytoplankton) controls on the underwater light field. We focus on how the available light affects the seasonal cycle of primary production (sympagic and pelagic) and discuss the sensitivity of ecosystems to changes in the light field based on model simulations. Lastly, we discuss predicted future changes in under-ice light as a consequence of climate change and their potential ecological implications, with the aim of providing a guide for future research. ",

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AU - Stroeve, Julienne

AU - Banas, S. Neil

AU - Bouman, A. Heather

AU - Brierley, S. Andrew

AU - Connan, Stacey

AU - Cottier, Finlo

AU - Große, Fabian

AU - Hobbs, Laura

AU - Katlein, Christian

AU - Light, Bonnie

AU - McKee, David

AU - Orkney, Andrew

AU - Proud, Roland

AU - Schourup-Kristensen, Vibe

PY - 2021/11/25

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AB - The Arctic marine ecosystem is shaped by the seasonality of the solar cycle, spanning from 24-h light at the sea surface in summer to 24-h darkness in winter. The amount of light available for under-ice ecosystems is the result of different physical and biological processes that affect its path through atmosphere, snow, sea ice and water. In this article, we review the present state of knowledge of the abiotic (clouds, sea ice, snow, suspended matter) and biotic (sea ice algae and phytoplankton) controls on the underwater light field. We focus on how the available light affects the seasonal cycle of primary production (sympagic and pelagic) and discuss the sensitivity of ecosystems to changes in the light field based on model simulations. Lastly, we discuss predicted future changes in under-ice light as a consequence of climate change and their potential ecological implications, with the aim of providing a guide for future research.

KW - sea ice algae

KW - Arctic ocean

KW - phytoplankton

KW - light transmission

KW - primary production

KW - Arctic ecosystem

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DO - 10.1007/s13280-021-01662-3

M3 - Article

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SN - 0044-7447

JO - Ambio

JF - Ambio

ER -

Shine a light: under-ice light and its ecological implications in a changing Arctic Ocean

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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Projects

Mechanistic understanding of the role of diatoms in the success of the Arctic Calanus complex and implications for a warmer Arctic | Connan-McGinty, Stacey

Primary production driven by escalating nutrient fluxes?

Arctic PRoductivity in the seasonal Ice ZonE (Arctic PriZE)

Cite this