How do warmer winters reshape life beneath the ice?
Sara Masure, a Master’s student working with Milla Rautio at UQAC (Canada), brings this question to life through a beautifully illustrated comic strip inspired by her research project.
Through her artwork, Sara explores how warming winters and changing snow precipitation patterns may alter the amount of light reaching Arctic lakes beneath the ice. These changes in under-ice light conditions can directly influence the abundance, composition, and nutritional quality of phytoplankton, the microscopic organisms that form the foundation of Arctic lake food webs.
Because phytoplankton supports higher trophic levels, these shifts may cascade upward to affect organisms such as zooplankton and fish, with important implications for northern lake ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
With remarkable artistic talent, Sara illustrates the first chapter of her research journey in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, transforming complex science into an engaging visual story that is both accessible and inspiring.
This comic strip offers a creative window into how FROST research connects climate change, winter processes, and Arctic food systems.
English version coming soon ! :-)
Download the PDF here :
