XVI International Botanical Congess

Sea ice is inhabited by a wide variety of protists, mainly diatoms. However, both photo- and heterotrophic flagellates are common in ice, where conditions, such as low light, low temperature and high salinity make it a harsh environment for organisms to thrive in. Flagellate species composition in different types sea ice in the Arctic, Antarctic and the Baltic Sea has been studied during 1995-1999. All currently known marine flagellate classes are represented in sea ice. This presentation introduces the most common flagellate groups living within ice. An emphasis on the methods of study and diversity of chrysophycean flagellates encountered in sea ice in the polar regions and the Baltic Sea.