A groundbreaking study by an international research team has discovered that microalgae in the Arctic can continue to produce biomass even in extremely low light conditions. This finding shows that photosynthesis can occur much deeper and in darker conditions than previously thought.
The study was part of the MOSAiC expedition, which took place at 88° northern latitude. Researchers studied microalgae under the snow and ice cover of the Arctic Ocean, where sunlight is minimal. Despite this, the microalgae were able to build up biomass by the end of March, when the sun is barely visible above the horizon.
This remarkable result demonstrates the algae’s ability to perform photosynthesis under conditions that were thought to be too dark for such processes. According to Dr. Clara Hoppe from the Alfred Wegener Institute, “It is very impressive to see how efficiently the algae can utilize such low amounts of light.”
The study used extremely sensitive light sensors placed in the ice and water to gauge the light levels. Despite the snow-covered sea ice blocking most of the sunlight, the microalgae managed to use the very limited light – about one hundred thousandth (0.001%) of what is available on a sunny day – to grow.
This finding has global implications. “Even though our results are specific to the Arctic Ocean, they show what photosynthesis is capable of,” says Hoppe. “If it is so efficient under the challenging conditions of the Arctic, we can assume that organisms in other regions of the oceans have also adapted so well.”
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/science/arctic-algae-photosynthesis-defy-darkness