News From the Field
Algal Antifreeze Makes Inroads Into Ice

March 2, 2011

Sea-ice algae--the important first rung of the food web each spring in places like the Arctic Ocean--can engineer ice to its advantage. The same gel-like mucus secreted by sea-ice algae as a kind of antifreeze against temperatures well below minus 10 celsius is also allowing algae to sculpt microscopic channels and pores in ice that are hospitable to itself and other microorganisms. Full Story

Source
University of Washington

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