Soja-Woźniak Monika, Holtrop Tadzio, Woutersen Sander, van der Woerd Hendrik Jan, Lund-Hansen Lars Chresten, Huisman Jef
Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Department of Water & Climate Risk, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 30;16(1):4059. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59386-x.
The dramatic loss of sea ice due to global warming is changing light conditions for marine primary production, but exactly how is not well understood. Previous studies revealed that small peaks in the absorption spectrum of liquid water, due to molecular vibrations of HO, delineate a series of spectral niches for aquatic photosynthesis. Ice, however, has a smoother absorption spectrum and scatters light much more strongly than liquid water. Here, we show with a radiative transfer model that the loss of sea ice causes a pronounced blue shift, narrowing light spectra in the euphotic zone to shorter wavelengths. Furthermore, ice cover yields a smooth continuum of light spectra, whereas open water creates distinct spectral niches selecting for phytoplankton species with different photosynthetic pigments. These results indicate that the loss of sea ice will cause major changes in both the pigment and species composition of primary producers in polar ecosystems.
全球变暖导致海冰急剧减少，正在改变海洋初级生产的光照条件，但具体情况尚不清楚。先前的研究表明，由于水分子振动，液态水吸收光谱中的小峰值描绘了一系列水生光合作用的光谱生态位。然而，冰的吸收光谱更平滑，并且比液态水散射光的能力更强。在这里，我们通过辐射传输模型表明，海冰的减少会导致明显的蓝移，使透光层的光谱变窄至更短波长。此外，冰盖产生光谱的平滑连续体，而开阔水域则产生不同的光谱生态位，选择具有不同光合色素的浮游植物物种。这些结果表明，海冰的减少将导致极地生态系统中初级生产者的色素和物种组成发生重大变化。
