NASA Team Finds Underwater ‘Rainforest’ Under Arctic

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On a NASA-sponsored expedition in the Arctic Ocean, scientists discovered phytoplankton-rich water flourishing beneath three feet of ice. Phytoplankton are microscopic plant-like organisms essential to all sea life. According to NASA, this area of water is richer in marine plants than any other ocean region on the planet. Paula Bontempi, NASA’s ocean biology and biogeochemistry program manager in Washington, likened the discovery to “finding the Amazon rainforest in the middle of the Mojave Desert.”

The finding exposes new impacts of rising Arctic temperatures as scientists now say that thinning ice has enabled the sun to reach the water beneath it, leading to plant growth. “These blooms could become more widespread in the future, however, if the Arctic sea ice cover continues to thin,” said Kevin Arrigo of Stanford University, the leader of the mission. 

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