Fig. 3: Seabed light availability (±95% CI) for the coastal Ross Sea (EBed mol m⁻² day⁻¹) as identified with global bathymetric layers, annual surface light budgets, and water clarity estimates.

Seabed light availability (EBed) is shown across the five regions where benthic imagery was collected, with the green points showing the locations of benthic surveys performed in 2021 and 2023 (a). EBed across depths is reported for the five surveyed regions (1–5), averaged over three transects (across depth gradients, perpendicular to shore; b). The depths at which light falls below two thresholds (0.1 and 0.2 mol m⁻² day⁻¹; indicated by black and red dashed horizontal lines, respectively) were reported for each region (vertical solid black lines), as well as the depths at which clearly attached populations of H. grandifolius, red algae, and crustose coralline algae (CCA) were observed (vertical dashed lines). Note that the bathymetry at some sites (i.e., Wood Bay, 5) was not resolved by global products and therefore is missed from global models (e.g. ref. ¹⁴).