WINDEREN, JANA — Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone

The listener experiences the bloom of plankton, the shifting and crackling sea ice in the Barents Sea around Spitsbergen (towards the North Pole) and the underwataer sounds made by bearded seals, migrating species such as humpbacks and orcas, and the sound of hunting seithe and spawning cod. All depend on the spring bloom.

In view of the recent UN Climate Change report, this release is most timely...

The marginal ice zone is the dynamic border between the open sea and the sea ice, which is ecologically extremely vulnerable. The phytoplankton present in the sea produces half of the oxygen of the planet. During spring, this zone is the most important CO2 sink in our biosphere. In 'Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone' the sounds of living creatures become a voice in the current political debate concerning the official definition of the location of the ice edge.

'Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone' is Winderen�s latest instalment in a series of works that reveal the sounds of underwater life, from the warm waters in the Caribbean to the cold and nourishing waters around Greenland, Norway and Iceland. 'Spring Bloom in the Marginal Ice Zone' was a Sonic Acts and Dark Ecology commission supported by Art & Technology � Arts Council Norway, Fond for lyd og bilde, Tono stipendet, ARCEx R/V Helmer Hanssen, University in Troms� & Foundation Mamont.

Artwork & photography by Jon Wozencroft
Booklet photography by Philipp Assmy
Mastered by Denis Blackham, Skye
Published by Touch Music/Fairwood Music UK Ltd

Thanks to Paul Wassmann, Carlos Duarte, Britt Kramvig, Berit Kristoffersen, Hilde Methi, Northsailing, Troms� Friluft Centre, TBA21 Academy.