{"id":57278,"date":"2026-10-01T12:39:36","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/?post_type=nyhet&#038;p=57278"},"modified":"2026-10-01T12:40:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T10:40:42","slug":"tending-the-hidden-gardens-of-the-frozen-arctic-oc","status":"publish","type":"nyhet","link":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/newsarticle\/tending-the-hidden-gardens-of-the-frozen-arctic-oc\/","title":{"rendered":"Tending the hidden gardens of the frozen Arctic Oc"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By: <strong>Karley Campbell, Anne Braakmann-Folgmann, Zoe Koenig, Christien Laber, Rosalie McKay and Catherine Taelman <\/strong>\/\/ UiT The Arctic University of Norway<br \/>\n<strong>Polona Itkin and Megan Lenss <\/strong>\/\/ Norwegian Polar Institute<br \/>\n<strong>Michele Fabris and Luca Morelli <\/strong>\/\/ University of Southern Denmark<br \/>\n<strong>Janina Osanen<\/strong> \/\/ Norwegian University of Science and Technology<br \/>\n<strong>Benjamin Lange<\/strong> \/\/ Norwegian Geotechnical Institute<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This article was originally published in <a href=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/2026\/03\/13\/tending-the-hidden-gardens-of-the-frozen-arctic-ocean\/\"><em>Fram Forum 2026<\/em><\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sea ice blanketing the Arctic Ocean seems a barren place but look closer\u2014much closer\u2014and you will find a thriving world of microorganisms. The uniquely adapted algae of sea ice perform photosynthesis, and in doing so, produce compounds that feed aquatic life, from swimming zooplankton and ultimately to the mighty polar bear. But sea ice is a dynamic landscape. It is a combination of snow, ice and liquid brine that responds to seasonal warming and the conditions of the ocean below it. This has made it difficult to understand the complex relationships between ice algae and their environment. At the same time, amplified global warming in the Arctic is rapidly changing the icescape. So, what is the future of ice algae in the Arctic marine ecosystem?<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This question has been at the centre of the projects BREATHE (Bottom sea ice Respiration and nutrient Exchanges Assessed for THE Arctic) and Micro-SHIFT (Microbial life of Sea ice Habitats Investigated for The Arctic), led by Karley Campbell at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Together with other sea-ice-focused colleagues, she has completed the first drift studies of RV<em> Kronprins Haakon<\/em> to help provide answers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6abe37aa1d8e9&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6abe37aa1d8e9\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4621\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure3-web-e1773411730477-1024x906.png\" alt=\"Figur\" width=\"1024\" height=\"906\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\"> <\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Locations of the 2023 BREATHE (pink) and 2025 Micro-SHIFT (orange) drift tracks on RV Kronprins Haakon. <strong>Map<\/strong>: Zoe Koenig \/ UiT The Arctic University of Norway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Drifting for answers about sea ice<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn a drift you attach the ship to a single ice floe and essentially let nature decide where you will go,\u201d says Campbell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drifting around the Arctic Ocean largely at the whim of winds may seem like a wasted opportunity when compared to the targeting of specific locations that is more typical of research voyages.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn the contrary,\u201d says Campbell, \u201cthe slow drift gives us time to do in-depth work across time and space that is just not possible with other cruises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The BREATHE and Micro-SHIFT drifts on RV<em> Kronprins Haakon<\/em> have been relatively short, on the order of weeks, with optimised sampling for a magnified view of biological processes. The insights are nonetheless revealing. For example, the team found a lot of <em>Pseudonitzschia <\/em>algae in the sea ice during the 2025 Micro-SHIFT drift. These algae could produce a neurotoxin that affects other life forms in the ecosystem, but the analysis done so far in the lab of Michele Fabris has shown that this may not be happening within the ice\u2014at least not under the conditions of this drift.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9f2c8c98 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-c121c568 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized wp-lightbox-container\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6abe37aa1df6c&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6abe37aa1df6c\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4636\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure-2-microhabitats-fram-forum.jpg\" alt=\"Figur\" width=\"386\" height=\"522\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\"> <\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The complexity of sea ice. Algae live at the surface of sea ice, inside the brine and on the underside. <strong>Image<\/strong>: Karley Campbell \/ UiT The Arctic University of Norway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-quinary-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-42e97de3 wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-base-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-132cd4db wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-main-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-2\"><strong>Training the next generation of sea-ice researchers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-main-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph\">The impact of drift studies on RV <em>Kronprins Haakon<\/em> goes beyond the unique datasets that they have created.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-main-color has-text-color has-link-color has-small-font-size wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph\">In 2023, the SiDrift project paired with BREATHE to create a floating classroom as part of the drift study. In total, 23 early career researchers joined from over 20 countries as part of a field school. Instructors in biology, physics and oceanography from UiT The Arctic University of Norway and the Norwegian Polar Institute routinely took the classroom onto the ice, putting theory into practice. Participants received training that will help to propel sea-ice research into the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-20ea08b9 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4638\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure-6-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Foto av forskere som jobber p\u00e5 havis\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Scientists in training. Polona Itkin instructs students on 2023 BREATHE drift on making snow pits. <strong>Photo<\/strong>: Rosalie McKay \/ UiT The Arctic University of Norway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Algae hunting in the High Arctic<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of the research on sea-ice algae has focused on the few centimetres of ice in contact with the ocean. This is where highly productive diatoms accumulate in spring when daylight returns to the Arctic. But during the maiden voyage of RV<em> Kronprins Haakon<\/em> to the North Pole in 2022, Campbell and colleague Benjamin Lange noticed something. Most of the algae were not in the bottom-ice. Instead, the algae were concentrated in the form of floating masses beneath the ice, known as aggregates, or in the deformed ice of ridges that can be metres thicker than the surrounding level ice, and have a much more complex geometry. These often-overlooked biological hotspots\u2014the Arctic\u2019s hidden gardens\u2014might have an important role in determining the biodiversity and productivity of sea ice algae.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cKnowing the gardens were there was one thing. Sampling them was quite another,\u201d says Lange.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With some quick thinking and the use of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to see where Lange could not, they were able to pump samples of the hidden algae to the surface. Measurements on board the vessel soon showed that, compared to the bottom-ice, these hidden gardens had unique algae species and rates of production. They were alive and seemed to be doing quite well. Being different species of algae than in the bottom-ice could mean that they are better suited for future conditions of the Arctic Ocean. This is being tested in lab experiments back at UiT, using algae collected from the cruises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing about the existence of the sea-ice gardens from the North Pole cruise has allowed targeted sampling in the drift studies that followed. Pumps, drones and ROVs are now part of the sea-ice biologist\u2019s arsenal, alongside the tried-and-true ice core barrel. With this sampling strategy and the time that drifting affords, several ridge gardens were effectively sampled in the 2023 and 2025 drift studies on RV <em>Kronprins Haakon<\/em>. Continuing this work to broaden our view of sea-ice algae from just the bottom-ice is an important mandate of the Micro-SHIFT project.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-2adb7c62 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-c121c568 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4618\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure-4-web-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Foto av forsker med VR-briller\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9010bec3 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4647\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure-4-aggregate-part-2-1024x582.png\" alt=\"Foto av en is-pr\u00f8ve\" width=\"1024\" height=\"582\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Benjamin Lange wears virtual reality goggles to suction ice algae aggregates viewed by the under-ice remotely operated vehicle (ROV). <strong>Photos<\/strong>: Megan Lenss \/ Norwegian Polar Institute and Pedro De La Torre \/ Norwegian University of Science and Technology<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-septenary-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\"><strong>Other drifting research projects<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The earliest research project involving drifting with the ice may be Nansen\u2019s expedition with <em>Fram<\/em> (1893\u20131896). Though the primary objective was to reach the North Pole, the expedition team collected data on water temperature, salinity, depth and currents. The ship\u2019s doctor, Henrik Blessing, recorded the presence of algae in the pack ice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The Soviet Union established its first drifting research station on the pack ice in 1937 and maintained a series of drifting stations during the Cold War. After a hiatus, Russia resumed use of ice stations in 2003. As the Arctic Ocean\u2019s ice cover has thinned, finding suitable ice has become increasingly difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">More recent ship-based drift research has provided unique snapshots that help depict how sea ice, and the depths of water below it, function within the Arctic Ocean. These include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA, 1997\u20131998) aboard the Canadian Coast Guard Ship <em>Des Groseilliers<\/em>, led by the University of Seattle, Washington<\/li>\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Norwegian young sea ICE cruise 2015 (N-ICE<sup>2015<\/sup>)on RV <em>Lance<\/em>, led by the Norwegian Polar Institute<\/li>\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC, 2019\u20132020), on the German icebreaker <em>Polarstern<\/em>, led by the Alfred Wegener Institute<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-a51aa37c wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-container-core-column-is-layout-c121c568 wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4619\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure-5-web-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"Foto av is\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A drift of opportunity. Drone image of scientist Karley Campbell sampling an exposed ridge surface, accessible when a lead opened during 2023 BREATHE sea ice drift. <strong>Photo<\/strong>: Polona Itkin \/ Norwegian Polar Institute<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9010bec3 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large wp-lightbox-container\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6abe37aa1f227&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6abe37aa1f227\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4663\" src=\"https:\/\/framforum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/figure4-ridge-rov-part-3-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Foto av is under vann\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" \/><button class=\"lightbox-trigger\" type=\"button\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\" data-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\" aria-label=\"Enlarge\"> <\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An ice sample being cored from a ridge garden, located and viewed here by ROV. <strong>Photo<\/strong>: Emily Venables \/ UiT The Arctic University of Norway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Frozen landscape\u2014warming climate<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Arctic sea ice is changing due to global warming. Increasingly, it is thinner and less ridged. It covers a smaller fraction of the Arctic Ocean, and for a shorter season of the year. However, sea ice remains a defining feature of the polar regions, and it will continue to be an important habitat for microorganisms in the millennia to come. It is imperative that we understand the changes that sea-ice gardens face, so that we may tend to them accordingly and ensure their integration into our ecosystem-based management of the future Arctic Ocean.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-quinary-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\"><strong>Acknowledgements<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The BREATHE (325405) and SiDRIFT (287871) projects have been funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). Micro-SHIFT (101162830) is a European Research Council Starting Grant. Work on the 2025 sea ice drift was also supported by the RCN project DIAMOND (352217) led by Zoe Koenig.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-octonary-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-large-font-size\">Further reading<\/h2>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/toc\/10.1002\/(ISSN)2169-9291.NICE1\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/toc\/10.1002\/(ISSN)2169-9291.NICE1\">N-ICE special issue<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/online.ucpress.edu\/elementa\/article\/10\/1\/000046\/119791\/Overview-of-the-MOSAiC-expedition-Snow-and-sea-ice\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/online.ucpress.edu\/elementa\/article\/10\/1\/000046\/119791\/Overview-of-the-MOSAiC-expedition-Snow-and-sea-ice\">Mosaic<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.uit.no\/project\/microshift\/blogg\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/en.uit.no\/project\/microshift\/blogg\">Blog about Micro-SHIFT<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":57280,"template":"","tags":[],"emne":[96,108,432],"horinger":[],"class_list":["post-57278","nyhet","type-nyhet","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","emne-arctic","emne-climate","emne-arctic-ocean"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyhet\/57278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyhet"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/nyhet"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyhet\/57278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57282,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nyhet\/57278\/revisions\/57282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57278"},{"taxonomy":"emne","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emne?post=57278"},{"taxonomy":"horinger","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/npolar.no\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/horinger?post=57278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}