Identification

• Light radiation from the sun is composed of several different wavelengths, which have various properties. Ultraviolet light that reaches the ocean plays an important role for marine animals at all levels of the food chain.
  
  

Significance

• Most marine species living in the upper levels of the ocean require sunlight for photosynthesis, but an overexposure of UV light can destroy microorganisms called phytoplankton. This causes a cascade effect that disrupts the entire marine ecosystem.
  
  

Sensitive Areas

• NAS, a NASA research website reports that phytoplankton in arctic areas are more susceptible to the harmful effects of UV light radiation. A field survey of Antarctic phytoplankton near the springtime ozone hole found a 6 to 12 percent drop in phytoplankton productivity.
  
  

Growth Rate

• UV light causes plankton to sink to deeper depths of the ocean, which inhibits their reproduction and growth rate.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Some marine organisms have adapted mechanisms that protect them from UV light radiation. These creatures have evolved UV absorbent pigments in their skin, and in the most exotic cases, even the ability to repair UV damaged DNA on the cellular level.