TY - JOUR

T1 - Life Inside and Under Frozen Seawater

AU - Thomas, David N.

AU - Kaartokallio, Hermanni

N1 - Seawater freezes below -2.0°C and therefore ice covers vast areas of the polar oceans for part of every year. First, ice crystals float to surface; then ice floes form to create a frozen landscape on the ocean surface. This pack ice moves with wind and currents and can form huge piles of ice rubble or expose open water when ice floes move apart. When seawater freezes, salty brines are trapped in a network of tiny channels and pockets throughout the ice. This network is a living place for microscopic ice organisms like bacteria, algae, tiny animals, small worms, and crustaceans. Ice algae grow best on the underside of ice where animals can feed on them. Sea ice is an important site of food production for many organisms in the polar oceans and seas and when the ice melts, it can also support life on the sea floor, which can be thousands of meters below.

PY - 2020/9/9

Y1 - 2020/9/9

U2 - 10.3389/frym.2020.537335

DO - 10.3389/frym.2020.537335

M3 - Article

JO - Frontiers for Young Minds

JF - Frontiers for Young Minds

ER -