Thinning ice creates undersea Arctic greenhouses
Light shining through could increasingly let phytoplankton bloom in polar region
GREEN LIGHT The thinning and melting of Arctic sea ice allows more light to reach the waters below, which may spawn more and more phytoplankton blooms (right). Typically the thick, opaque ice prevents the blooms, which can consist of diatoms such as these (left).
William M. Balch/Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; Karen Frey/Clark Univ.