Pigment composition and photoprotection of Arctic sea ice algae during spring

International audienceFrom the beginning of spring to the melt period, ice algae in the bottom of Arctic sea ice experience a large irradiance range, varying from <0.1% up to 25 or 30% of the incoming visible radiation. The increase in spring is usually rapid, with a varying photoacclimative response by bottom ice algae to protect themselves against excess light, such as changes in cellular pigment composition. This study focused on the temporal variation in pigment composition of bottom ice algae under 2 contrasting snow depths (thin and thick) during spring. Controlled experiments were also carried out to investigate the photoprotective capacity of ice algae to relatively high irradiances during a short-term period (