microscopic organisms, especially algae and bacteria, that live in or on ice and frozen environments.
From Greek 'kryos' (cold) + 'plankton' (drifting organisms), a specialized term for plankton adapted to ice environments, combining two Greek roots describing cold-living drifters.
Sea ice isn't empty—it's full of cryoplankton called ice algae that form the base of food chains in polar oceans, feeding krill which feed whales, so the foundation of Arctic ecosystems depends on frozen water.
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