The rapid melting of snow and sea ice during the Arctic summer provides a significant source of fresh water locally. This meltwater accumulates on, under and around sea ice floes, leading to the formation of thin layers of meltwater (1 meter thick or less) in the upper ocean. They are generally too small to be detected by conventional observation methods.

The MOSAiC expedition in the summer of 2020 studied those meltwater layers in the Arctic. Observational data reveal that the surface stratification has major consequences, such as:
-       reducing bottom ice melt and allowing new ice formation via false bottom growth,
-       diminishing atmosphere-ocean exchanges of momentum, energy, and materia,
-       acting as a barrier for nutrient and gas exchange,
-       and impacting ecosystem diversity and productivity. 

> Read the whole article here: https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/11/1/00025/197188/Thin-and-transient-meltwater-layers-and-false