Microalgae, primarily diatoms, bloom in the lower layers of coarse-grained congelation ice and platelet ice during the austral spring at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The purpose in the 1985-1986 field season was to examine changes in photosynthetic metabolism that occur during the development and decline of the spring bloom of sea-ice microalgae. The authors have proposed that sea-ice microalgae may serve as a model system for studying growth phase-related changes in physiology of natural populations of microalgae. Because they are physically trapped within the brine channels and pockets that permeate sea ice, a single community may be repetitively sampled throughout the bloom period. The seasonal study of photosynthetic metabolism included the following parameters: carbon assimilation into crude fractions of protein, lipids, carbohydrates, and small molecular weight metabolites; carbon assimilation into specific lipid fractions: neutral lipids, glycolipids, and phospholipids; identification of key lipid components by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; photosynthesis/light relationships; release of extracellular organic carbon; and analysis of pigment composition: chlorophylls, carotenoids, and breakdown products.
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Palmisano et al. (1986) studied this question.
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