Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Abstract The Western Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid environmental change. Regional warming is causing increased glacial meltwater discharge, but the ecological impact of this meltwater over large spatiotemporal scales is not well understood. Here, we leverage 20 years of remote sensing data...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02435-6 |
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| author | B. Jack Pan Michelle M. Gierach Sharon Stammerjohn Oscar Schofield Michael P. Meredith Rick A. Reynolds Maria Vernet F. Alexander Haumann Alexander J. Orona Charles E. Miller |
| author_facet | B. Jack Pan Michelle M. Gierach Sharon Stammerjohn Oscar Schofield Michael P. Meredith Rick A. Reynolds Maria Vernet F. Alexander Haumann Alexander J. Orona Charles E. Miller |
| author_sort | B. Jack Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The Western Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid environmental change. Regional warming is causing increased glacial meltwater discharge, but the ecological impact of this meltwater over large spatiotemporal scales is not well understood. Here, we leverage 20 years of remote sensing data, reanalysis products, and field observations to assess the effects of sea surface glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass and highlight its importance as a key environmental driver for this region’s productive ecosystem. We find a strong correlation between meltwater and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a across multiple time scales and datasets. We attribute this relationship to nutrient fertilization by glacial meltwater, with potential additional contribution from surface ocean stabilization associated with sea-ice presence. While high phytoplankton biomass typically follows prolonged winter sea-ice seasons and depends on the interplay between light and nutrient limitation, our results indicate that the positive effects of increased glacial meltwater on phytoplankton communities likely mitigate the negative impact of sea-ice loss in this region in recent years. Our findings underscore the critical need to consider glacial meltwater as a key ecological driver in polar coastal ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-af2ec3d3805743f495905f2291cfbe9d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-af2ec3d3805743f495905f2291cfbe9d2025-08-20T02:06:36ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-06-016111010.1038/s43247-025-02435-6Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic PeninsulaB. Jack Pan0Michelle M. Gierach1Sharon Stammerjohn2Oscar Schofield3Michael P. Meredith4Rick A. Reynolds5Maria Vernet6F. Alexander Haumann7Alexander J. Orona8Charles E. Miller9Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyJet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado BoulderDepartment of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers UniversityBritish Antarctic SurveyMarine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoIntegrative Oceanography Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San DiegoHelmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Alfred Wegener InstituteData Science & Artificial Intelligence Group, Ocean Motion Technologies, Inc.Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of TechnologyAbstract The Western Antarctic Peninsula is undergoing rapid environmental change. Regional warming is causing increased glacial meltwater discharge, but the ecological impact of this meltwater over large spatiotemporal scales is not well understood. Here, we leverage 20 years of remote sensing data, reanalysis products, and field observations to assess the effects of sea surface glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass and highlight its importance as a key environmental driver for this region’s productive ecosystem. We find a strong correlation between meltwater and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a across multiple time scales and datasets. We attribute this relationship to nutrient fertilization by glacial meltwater, with potential additional contribution from surface ocean stabilization associated with sea-ice presence. While high phytoplankton biomass typically follows prolonged winter sea-ice seasons and depends on the interplay between light and nutrient limitation, our results indicate that the positive effects of increased glacial meltwater on phytoplankton communities likely mitigate the negative impact of sea-ice loss in this region in recent years. Our findings underscore the critical need to consider glacial meltwater as a key ecological driver in polar coastal ecosystems.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02435-6 |
| spellingShingle | B. Jack Pan Michelle M. Gierach Sharon Stammerjohn Oscar Schofield Michael P. Meredith Rick A. Reynolds Maria Vernet F. Alexander Haumann Alexander J. Orona Charles E. Miller Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full | Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_fullStr | Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_short | Impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the Western Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_sort | impact of glacial meltwater on phytoplankton biomass along the western antarctic peninsula |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02435-6 |
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