Climate change impacts the Arctic strongly, with major and rapid modifications of the sea ice environment already observed.  

The Arctic includes diverse sea ice environments, influencing differently the growth of ice algae and spring bloom timing. Ice algal productivity and timing is highly variable, with factors controlling the development and onset of blooms remaining uncertain. As satellite remote sensing of ice algal blooms remains impossible, models are currently the sole method to study the distribution of ice algae at large scales, across the Arctic. 

In a recent paper, CRiceS researcher Antoine Haddon and colleagues presented the first pan-Arctic simulation of future ice algae from a coupled 3D ocean and sea ice biogeochemical model, examining the environmental factors influencing spatial diversity and the effects of climate change on ice algae. 

Their main results are the following:

1-    The timing of environmental conditions controls ice algal growth.
2-    At higher latitudes, loss of thick ice will lead to the emergence of new productive regions.
3-    Reduction of ice extent will limit the increases of sympagic blooms at lower latitudes.
4-    The timing of the ice algal spring peak shows little change in the near future.
5-    The onset of ice algal growth is not expected to occur earlier in the future, despite earlier light availability due to thinner ice.