Researching the effects of climate change on Arctic macroalgae often involves studying the consequences of different warming scenarios. The Ny-Ålesund work of our PhD student Milan focuses on seasonal high-temperature stress experiments with the intertidal brown macroalgae 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴. Recently he conducted an additional “Fucus Freezing experiment” to research the effects of low-temperature stress during simulated polar night tidal cycles. Specifically, how low temperatures impact 𝘍. 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 when it is exposed to air during low tide.

This experiment involves three treatments: a control group where the algae stays in the water at all times (Water), and two groups that fall dry 2 times a day for 3 hours each at approximately ambient water temperatures (Dry) and -20°C (Freeze). 

Milan conducts this experiment every season in order to study low-temperature resilience, photophysiological and biochemical differences, and adaptive processes to cold stress throughout the year. This time, he is working on the experiment together with PhD student Beatrice Brix da Costa, a colleague from his University of Bremen working group.

In these photos we can see the experimental setup (darkened bottles with air bubbling), the PAM Chlorophyll Fluorometer (used to measure photosynthetic efficiency, an important indicator of algal fitness), and frozen 𝘍. 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴 during low tide last spring.