Earth's vast oceans teem with innumerable microscopic plants that make the fertility and abundance of the United States’ Grain Belt look like, well, a drop in the ocean. These tiny phytoplankton are essential to life on Earth, says biologist Sam Laney. “Just like plants on land, phytoplankton do photosynthesis: They…
Iron fertilization is a technique that would artificially add iron to the ocean’s surface, triggering massive blooms of phytoplankton that could remove substantial amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
What are Phytoplankton? Phytoplankton are mostly microscopic, single-celled photosynthetic organisms that live suspended in water. Like land plants, they take up carbon dioxide, make carbohydrates using light energy, and release oxygen. They are what is known as primary producers of the ocean—the organisms that form the base of the food chain. Because they need light, phytoplankton live near ...
'Phytoplankton is the plant portion of the plankton, the plant community in marine and freshwater situations, that floats free in the water and contains many species of algae and diatoms. Definition source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Much of marine life begins as microscopic larvae—so tiny, delicate, and scattered in hard-to-reach parts…
Ocean color data from the SeaWiFS and MODIS sensors enable researchers to examine the link between phytoplankton blooms and fish and bird health.
Because phytoplankton make their own food using the energy of the sun (in a process called photosynthesis), they are called "producers." That places them at the very base of the food web. Many animals eat plankton directly, or feed on animals that eat plankton. Animals that eat plants or other animals are called "consumers," and bacteria that break down dead plants and animals are called ...