Declining sea-ice is altering Antarctic food webs
New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Published: 11 September 2025
A Nature Climate Change study shows declining Antarctic sea ice is causing diatoms to be outcompeted by smaller phytoplankton, with cascading effects on the marine food web and ocean carbon uptake.
Keywords: Antarctic, sea ice, phytoplankton, diatoms, food webs, Southern Ocean, carbon sink, climate change
New satellite mapping reveals large-scale habitat changes across the Southern Ocean
Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Published: 2 March 2026
A novel study divides the Southern Ocean into 14 seascapes using satellite reflectance data, revealing that sea ice loss has increased phytoplankton in 70% of the ocean, shifting food webs to favor salps over krill.
Keywords: Southern Ocean, sea ice, phytoplankton, satellite mapping, seascapes, salps, krill, marine food web
Deepest gas hydrate cold seep ever discovered in the Arctic
UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Published: 22 December 2025
Scientists discovered the Freya Hydrate Mounds at 3,640m depth on the Molloy Ridge in the Greenland Sea, the deepest known gas hydrate cold seep, hosting unique chemosynthetic fauna fueled by ancient methane.
Keywords: Arctic Ocean, deep sea, gas hydrates, methane seep, Molloy Ridge, chemosynthetic fauna, Greenland Sea
