Editing Polynya (section)

==Ecology==
Some polynyas, such as the [[North Water Polynya]] between [[Canada]] and [[Greenland]], occur seasonally at the same time and place each year. Because animals can adapt their life strategies to this regularity, these types of polynyas are of special ecological research significance. In winter, [[marine mammal]]s such as [[walrus]]es, [[narwhal]]s, and [[Beluga (whale)|belugas]] that do not migrate south remain there. Polar bears are known to be able to swim as far as {{convert|65|km|nmi|round=5|abbr=off}} across open waters of a polynya.<ref>C. Michael Hogan. 2008 [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=36084 ''Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224205716/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=36084 |date=2008-12-24 }}</ref>

=== Polynya blooms ===
The presence of open water in an otherwise ice-covered area can result in a localized [[Algal bloom|marine algal bloom]], also referred to as a polynya bloom.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Earth Science Data Systems |first=NASA |title=Earthdata |url=http://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/articles/phytoplankton-and-polynyas |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=Earthdata |date=15 March 1995 |language=en}}</ref> While algal communities are often found under [[sea ice]], as evidenced by [[ice algae]], the rate of phytoplankton growth is substantially higher in the open water of a polynya.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tremblay |first1=J.-E. |title=Chapter 8 Primary Production and Nutrient Dynamics in Polynyas |date=2007-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0422989406740089 |journal=Elsevier Oceanography Series |volume=74 |pages=239–269 |editor-last=Smith |editor-first=W. O. |series=Polynyas: Windows to the World |publisher=Elsevier |language=en |access-date=2022-10-06 |last2=Smith |first2=W. O. |doi=10.1016/S0422-9894(06)74008-9 |isbn=9780444529527 |editor2-last=Barber |editor2-first=D. G.}}</ref> The primary drivers of polynya blooms are sunlight and nutrients. Specifically, the lack of sea ice allows light, a necessary component for [[photosynthesis]], to penetrate deeper into the water and enable elevated phytoplankton growth compared to the surrounding ice-covered waters.<ref name=":0" /> Furthermore, polynya formation is typically associated with [[upwelling]], a process that transports nutrient-rich water from the ocean bottom towards the surface.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jena |first1=Babula |last2=Narayana Pillai |first2=Anilkumar |date=2019-12-11 |title=Satellite observations of new phytoplankton blooms in the Maud Rise Polynya, Southern Ocean|journal=The Cryosphere Discussions|doi=10.5194/tc-2019-282|s2cid=210145931 |doi-access=free }} Published as {{doi|10.5194/tc-14-1385-2020}}</ref> This influx of nutrients coupled with increased light levels often results in polynya blooms.<ref name=":0" />

=== Biological production ===
[[File:Arctic Marine Food Web.png|thumb|A depiction of an Arctic marine food web. The phytoplankton, the base of the food web, are able to grow due to the polynya in the sea ice above them.]]
In general, polynyas tend to be more biologically productive as a result of containing more phytoplankton than the surrounding water.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Arrigo |first=Kevin R. |date=2003 |title=Phytoplankton dynamics within 37 Antarctic coastal polynya systems |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/2002JC001739 |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research |language=en |volume=108 |issue=C8 |pages=3271 |doi=10.1029/2002JC001739 |bibcode=2003JGRC..108.3271A |issn=0148-0227}}</ref> Therefore, due to the role of primary producers as the foundation of the [[marine food web]], polynyas are a critical food source for a variety of organisms such as fish, birds, and marine mammals.<ref name=":1" /> Listed below are several examples of the importance of polynyas to polar communities.

* Increased seal mortality rates were observed during years when the [[Ross Sea]] Polynya did not open.<ref name=":0" /> 
* In eastern Antarctica, 91% of [[Adélie penguin]] colonies are linked to a coastal polynya, where polynya size often correlates to colony size.<ref name=":1" /> 
* The presence of polynyas in [[McMurdo Sound]] provides an ice-free area where [[penguin]]s can feed, directly effecting the survival of the [[Cape Royds]] penguin colony.<ref>
{{cite web |date=12 June 2014 |title=Penguins in high latitudes |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz//tm/scholarly/tei-Bio15Tuat03-t1-body-d5.html |publisher=NZETC}}</ref>
* The downward transport of carbon (in the form of [[marine snow]]) from the surface to the seafloor associated with polynya blooms provides the nutrients necessary to sustain rich [[Benthic zone|benthic]] communities.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Labrousse |first1=Sara |last2=Williams |first2=Guy |last3=Tamura |first3=Takeshi |last4=Bestley |first4=Sophie |last5=Sallée |first5=Jean-Baptiste |last6=Fraser |first6=Alexander D. |last7=Sumner |first7=Michael |last8=Roquet |first8=Fabien |last9=Heerah |first9=Karine |last10=Picard |first10=Baptiste |last11=Guinet |first11=Christophe |last12=Harcourt |first12=Robert |last13=McMahon |first13=Clive |last14=Hindell |first14=Mark A. |last15=Charrassin |first15=Jean-Benoit |date=2018-02-16 |title=Coastal polynyas: Winter oases for subadult southern elephant seals in East Antarctica |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=3183 |doi=10.1038/s41598-018-21388-9 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=5816617 |pmid=29453356|bibcode=2018NatSR...8.3183L }}</ref>