Upon a short period of very extensive
             research, one can conclude many things about the
             phytoplankton content of the waters surrounding the
             continent of Antarctica.First of all, what is
             phytoplankton? Phytoplankton is defined as
             planktonic plants and other autotrophs which are
             the most important primary producers in many marine
             ecosystems. (p. 213 Castro-Huber) Many factors
             influence the growth of phytoplankton such as
             sunlight, water temperature, and water current.
             In my specific study of the pytoplankton
             present in Antarctic waters, I discovered a most
             unusual pattern of growth: only on three occasions
             from September 1997 to March 2000 was phytoplankton
             present in the waters of Antarctica. Of the three
             individual times that phytoplankton was present in
             the water, two of these occured in December 1998
             and 1999, the other in September 1998. Every other
             month from September 1997 until March 2000, the
             waters contained a phytoplankton reading of 0
             (zero). The only conclusion that can be made
             about the numerous occasions in which phytoplankton
             was absent from the waters is that massive sheets
             of ice cover the water around the continent of
             Antarctia making unacceptable conditions for the
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