Pplants left in the dark for too long usually turn sickly yellow and die, but scientists were surprised to discover small microalgae in the Arctic Ocean up to 50 meters deep can carry out photosynthesis in near darkness.
The microalgae were at 88 degrees north and began photosynthesizing in late March, only a few days after the long winter polar night ended at this latitude. The sun had barely risen above the horizon and the sea was still covered in snow and ice, barely allowing any light to pass through. Typical light conditions outside on a clear day in Europe are more than 37,000-50,000 times the amount of light transmitted by this Arctic microalgae.
to newsletter promotion
It is now hoped to unlock the secrets of how the algae survive in near darkness. It can promote photosynthesis in crop plants and extend their growing seasons at high latitudes, even in the UK. Another benefit can be to improve the growth of plants indoors in greenhouses or vertically stacked grow rooms by using less artificial lighting. Perhaps crops could even be grown in limited light aboard spacecraft on long-term missions or space colonies on other worlds.
