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Updated: Jun 13, 2025

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Published on: March 31, 2023
Antarctic pelagic ecosystems on a warming planet
Oscar Schofield1, Megan Cimino2, Scott Doney3
1Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
High-latitude marine ecosystems face climate change risks due to ice dynamics. Changes impact ocean physics, plankton, and food webs, affecting marine mammals and seabirds.
Area of Science:
- Marine Ecology
- Climate Change Science
- Oceanography
Background:
- High-latitude pelagic marine ecosystems are sensitive to climate change.
- Sea ice dynamics intricately link ocean physics, biogeochemistry, and food webs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess how sea ice influences marine food webs in the West Antarctic Peninsula.
- To understand the cascading effects of climate-driven changes on plankton and higher trophic levels.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the West Antarctic Peninsula.
- Assessment of ice's role in modulating solar input, wind mixing, and ocean stability.
- Evaluation of climate impacts on primary production and prey availability.
Main Results:
- Sea ice influences marine food webs by altering solar input, inhibiting mixing, and affecting ocean stability.
- Climate-driven state changes, linked to increased storm forcing and heat distribution, impact plankton composition and primary production.
- Changes in prey abundance affect marine mammals and seabirds.
Conclusions:
- Climate change, exacerbated by human activity, significantly alters high-latitude marine food webs.
- Understanding ice-ocean-food web interactions is crucial for predicting ecosystem responses to climate change.
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