Research Update: As Antarctic Sea Ice Shrinks, Microbial Biodiversity and CO2 Absorption Decline

National Science Foundation
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Posted November 08, 2021

The Western Antarctic Peninsula has been warming, and with the warming, significant loss of sea ice has occurred. However, little research exists about the long-term impacts the changing Western Antarctic has on the area's microscopic biodiversity and carbon cycling.

According to a new NSF-funded study, the changing environment in the Western Antarctic Peninsula is indeed having an impact on the microscopic ecology of the sea. The research finds that the diversity of plankton communities in the Western Antarctic Peninsula’s coastal waters has decreased. Additionally, the plankton communities are not as evenly distributed. Not only are there changes to the plankton community, but the study also has shown that the absorption of carbon dioxide has also declined.

Learn more about this research from Duke University and read the full paper in Nature.