Last Friday, the Research Icebreaker CCGS Amundsen, with its 80 Green Edge and crew members, left Québec to Baffin Bay to study the impact of climate change on the phytoplankton spring bloom and its impact on local life. The leader of the mission, Marcel Babin, shared his first impressions with us. Continue reading Scientists on their way to the Arctic
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Carefree young bears at the ice-camp
Monday morning, when we arrived at the ice camp, we discovered a number of fresh footprints. Bears had visited the camp in our absence.
Phytoplankton must develop deeper to access precious food
Terrestrial organisms are composed of six major elements, C, H, N, O, P, and S, in addition to more than 50 trace elements. In the ocean, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are called limiting nutrients because they may be available in concentrations which limit photosynthesis in algae. C, H, O and S typically present in abundance are therefore non-limiting. Silica (Si) is also an important resource for some algae such as diatoms that use it to form their protective shells. For growth, phytoplankton consume the available forms of these elements namely nitrate (NO3), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO42-) and silicate (SiO3–) from the surrounding waters.
Continue reading Phytoplankton must develop deeper to access precious food