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Science 25 January 2002:
Vol. 295. no. 5555, pp. 641 - 644
DOI: 10.1126/science.1063391
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Review

Antarctic Sea Ice--a Habitat for Extremophiles

D. N. Thomas,1* G. S. Dieckmann2

The pack ice of Earth's polar oceans appears to be frozen white desert, devoid of life. However, beneath the snow lies a unique habitat for a group of bacteria and microscopic plants and animals that are encased in an ice matrix at low temperatures and light levels, with the only liquid being pockets of concentrated brines. Survival in these conditions requires a complex suite of physiological and metabolic adaptations, but sea-ice organisms thrive in the ice, and their prolific growth ensures they play a fundamental role in polar ecosystems. Apart from their ecological importance, the bacterial and algae species found in sea ice have become the focus for novel biotechnology, as well as being considered proxies for possible life forms on ice-covered extraterrestrial bodies.

1 School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales-Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, UK, LL59 5EY.
2 Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, D- 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: d.thomas{at}bangor.ac.uk

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