NEWS: ICE
CHASER Expedition to the Arctic 2008
BBC
Coverage of ICE CHASER
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The
PAME program will focus on polar marine microorganisms
and their activities; the processes that relate to these
organisms and the significance of these organisms and
their activity with respect to climate and global environmental
change.
Microbial communities, including phytoplankton, protozoa, bacteria, archaea,
fungi and virus, are by far the most abundant and the most taxonomic and genetically
diverse group of organisms in marine pelagic ecosystems. Biological activity,
biomass, production and remineralization in these systems are essentially microbial
while higher trophic levels (crustaceans, fish, and mammals) play a minor role
in quantitative terms.
Microorganisms are the main drivers of biogeochemical cycles and the major producers
and consumers of green-house gases, and they are therefore significant players
in regulating the ecosphere. In addition, they can be important sentinels of
environmental change, as alterations in the structure and biomass of microbial
communities can herald changes not only in pathways of nutrient and energy transfer
in foodwebs, but also in biogeochemical cycles |
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