Written on March 26th, 2026 It makes sense that I’m making sense of things in the middle of the night. I am writing to you from the hotel lobby of a nice midtown hotel. A fellow musician friend clued me into this clean, quiet space where no one bats an eye at a woman with
Linking Sea Ice and Biogeochemistry in the Weddell Sea Marginal Ice Zone: Physical Structure, Meltwater Chemistry, and Biological Gradients
Sea ice is a key feature of the Southern Ocean that shapes the physical structure of the water column and regulates phytoplankton community dynamics and primary production. Phytoplankton are the base of the food chain, and the type of phytoplankton present, along with their overall productivity, impact the abundance of zooplankton and larger animals. Phytoplankton communities and production are also an important link for carbon export to the deep sea, a critical service provided by the Southern Ocean. However, sea ice extent and duration are decreasing in the Antarctic Peninsula region of the Southern Ocean, potentially affecting carbon export. This project aims to evaluate physical and chemical characteristics of sea ice in the Weddell Sea near Seymour Island and quantify effects of melting sea ice on phytoplankton and zooplankton growth and carbon export. This work will promote the progress of polar science and allow for better predictions of the ecosystem effects of changing sea ice conditions, such as shifts in krill abundance and its ability to support macrofauna and fisheries, and changes in carbon export.
Participants Involved in This Project
Kyra Sims | Artist Fellow
New York, NY
Tricia Thibodeau
University of New England | Biddeford, ME
From the Blog
I had opportunities to collaborate with artists on research projects I conducted in the United States, but never on an international expedition to Antarctica. As a polar plankton ecologist, I participated in six research expeditions to Antarctica and know how intense they can be. They are certainly not for everyone given the long working hours, sometimes cramped conditions, and tumultuous seas. In speaking with Kyra prior to the cruise, I could already tell she would be amenable to working in Antarctica.
Made possible with funding by the U.S. National Science Foundation Award #2221990. The information contained here is those of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
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