Summary: Light underneath Antarctic sea‐ice is below detectable limits for up to 4 months of the year. The ability of Antarctic sea‐ice diatoms to survive this prolonged darkness relies on their metabolic capability. This study is the first to examine the proteome of a prominent sea‐ice diatom in response to extended darkness, focusing on the protein‐level mechanisms of dark survival. The Antarctic diatom Fragilariopsis cylindrus was grown under continuous light or darkness for 120 d. The whole cell proteome was quantitatively analysed by nano‐LC−MS/MS to investigate metabolic changes that occur during sustained darkness and during recovery under illumination. Enzymes of metabolic pathways, particularly those involved in respiratory processes, tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolysis, the Entner−Doudoroff pathway, the urea cycle and the mitochondrial electron transport chain became more abundant in the dark. Within the plastid, carbon fixation halted while the upper sections of the glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and pentose phosphate pathways became less active. We have discovered how F. cylindrus utilises an ancient alternative metabolic mechanism that enables its capacity for long‐term dark survival. By sustaining essential metabolic processes in the dark, F. cylindrus retains the functionality of the photosynthetic apparatus, ensuring rapid recovery upon re‐illumination.

The biological pump supplies carbon to the oceans’ interior, driving long-term carbon sequestration and providing energy for deep-sea ecosystems^1,2. Its efficiency is set by transformations of newly formed particles in the euphotic zone, followed by vertical flux attenuation via mesopelagic processes³. Depth attenuation of the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux is modulated by multiple processes involving zooplankton and/or microbes^4,5. Nevertheless, it continues to be mainly parameterized using an empirically derived relationship, the ‘Martin curve’⁶. The derived power-law exponent is the standard metric used to compare flux attenuation patterns across oceanic provinces^7,8. Here we present in situ experimental findings from C-RESPIRE⁹, a dual particle interceptor and incubator deployed at multiple mesopelagic depths, measuring microbially mediated POC flux attenuation. We find that across six contrasting oceanic regimes, representing a 30-fold range in POC flux, degradation by particle-attached microbes comprised 7–29 per cent of flux attenuation, implying a more influential role for zooplankton in flux attenuation. Microbial remineralization, normalized to POC flux, ranged by 20-fold across sites and depths, with the lowest rates at high POC fluxes. Vertical trends, of up to threefold changes, were linked to strong temperature gradients at low-latitude sites. In contrast, temperature played a lesser role at mid- and high-latitude sites, where vertical trends may be set jointly by particle biochemistry, fragmentation and microbial ecophysiology. This deconstruction of the Martin curve reveals the underpinning mechanisms that drive microbially mediated POC flux attenuation across oceanic provinces.

Ice-associated microalgae make a significant seasonal contribution to primary production and biogeochemical cycling in polar regions. However, the distribution of algal cells is driven by strong physicochemical gradients which lead to a degree of microspatial variability in the microbial biomass that is significant, but difficult to quantify. We address this methodological gap by employing a field-deployable hyperspectral scanning and photogrammetric approach to study sea-ice cores. The optical set-up facilitated unsupervised mapping of the vertical and horizontal distribution of phototrophic biomass in sea-ice cores at mm-scale resolution (using chlorophyll a [Chl a] as proxy), and enabled the development of novel spectral indices to be tested against extracted Chl a (R² ≤ 0.84). The modelled bio-optical relationships were applied to hyperspectral imagery captured both in situ (using an under-ice sliding platform) and ex situ (on the extracted cores) to quantitatively map Chl a in mg m⁻² at high-resolution (≤ 2.4 mm). The optical quantification of Chl a on a per-pixel basis represents a step-change in characterising microspatial variation in the distribution of ice-associated algae. This study highlights the need to increase the resolution at which we monitor under-ice biophysical systems, and the emerging capability of hyperspectral imaging technologies to deliver on this research goal.

Ice algae are a key component in polar marine food webs and have an active role in large-scale biogeochemical cycles. They remain extremely under-sampled due to the coarse nature of traditional point sampling methods compounded by the general logistical limitations of surveying in polar regions. This study provides a first assessment of hyperspectral imaging as an under-ice remote-sensing method to capture sea-ice algae biomass spatial variability at the ice/water interface. Ice-algal cultures were inoculated in a unique inverted sea-ice simulation tank at increasing concentrations over designated cylinder enclosures and sparsely across the ice/water interface. Hyperspectral images of the sea ice were acquired with a pushbroom sensor attaining 0.9 mm square pixel spatial resolution for three different spectral resolutions (1.7, 3.4, 6.7 nm). Image analysis revealed biomass distribution matching the inoculated chlorophyllaconcentrations within each cylinder. While spectral resolutions >6 nm hindered biomass differentiation, 1.7 and 3.4 nm were able to resolve spatial variation in ice algal biomass implying a coherent sensor selection. The inverted ice tank provided a suitable sea-ice analogue platform for testing key parameters of the methodology. The results highlight the potential of hyperspectral imaging to capture sea-ice algal biomass variability at unprecedented scales in a non-invasive way.