The Arctic Ecosystem
Click image to view animation.
This animation illustrates a simple nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton-detritus open-water ecosystem where phytoplankton grow based on light and nutrient availability (iron, nitrogen, phosphorus). Phytoplankton are grazed by zooplankton, with zooplankton dying off and becoming detritus. The detritus is eventually remineralized, turning back into nutrients, although the animation does not capture this microscopic scale. The animation shows a hypothetical polar ecosystem starting in the spring when sunlight first appears and begins to melt the sea ice, and following all the way through to late fall when daylight begins to fade and the ice re-forms. Notice how light in the water changes during different seasons and depending on sea ice cover, and now the water gets more or less “green” – indicating phytoplankton growth – in response to changes in light penetration.