Dear Dr. McMinn,

Thank you for submitting "Ice Acidification: A review of the effects of ocean acidification on sea ice microbial communities" to Biogeosciences. Based on the comments received by 2 reviewers, I find that your manuscript may be suitable for publication after major revisions.

The reviewers made many thoughtful suggestions to which you have responded adequately; please ensure that the revised manuscript addresses all the points raised by the reviewers in the open discussion. I have made an additional comment below.

I look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Best regards,
-Elizabeth H. Shadwick

Editor Comment: Like Reviewer #1, I find myself similarly unsure about Figure 1 as presented. Please ensure that your revised caption emphasises the schematic nature of the seasonal cycle and if possible identify a source in the published literature to validate the seasonality of pH and nutrients as drawn. Further justification for the validity of this assumed seasonality may be needed (Antarctic vs Arctic, fast ice?, ice thickness? over what range of surface water depth is this expected to apply?). The first reference to Fig. 1 in the yet describes the concentration of gases in brine, which the figure does not show. Please ensure that the caption and all references to the Figure are clarified in the revised text.