The melting arctic is changing ocean light--and life beneath the surface
By Knowridge -May 4, 2025
As global warming melts more sea ice in the polar regions, the light that enters the ocean is not just increasing in amount—it’s also changing in color.
This shift in the underwater light environment could have serious consequences for the tiny plants and algae that form the base of the Arctic food web.
A new study published in Nature Communications, led by marine biologists Monika Soja-Woźniak and Jef Huisman from the University of Amsterdam, reveals how melting sea ice transforms the quality of light in the ocean and affects the life forms that rely on it for energy.
Sea ice and seawater interact with light in very different ways. Thick sea ice reflects and scatters most sunlight, allowing only a little to pass through. However, the light that does make it under the ice still includes a wide range of colors, or wavelengths.
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