Diatoms contribute to global oxygen production, marine food webs, and carbon sequestration, but scientists predict that diatom populations will decline due to ocean acidification associated with climate change.
food webs
Posted inResearch Spotlights
El Zooplancton Gelatinoso Transfiere Una Cantidad Significativa de Carbono a las Profundidades del Océano
Un nuevo estudio muestra que las medusas y las salpas marinas no reciben el crédito que merecen por su papel en el ciclo del carbono en el océano.
Posted inNews
Finding Prehistoric Rain Forests by Studying Modern Mammals
Mammal teeth store a record of the plants they ate, providing clues about the ecosystems in which they lived.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Jellies Transfer a Significant Amount of Carbon to the Deep Ocean
Jellyfish and sea salps aren’t getting the credit they deserve for their role in ocean carbon cycling, according to a new study.
Posted inNews
A Subglacial Lake in Antarctica Churns Out Nutrients
Eight hundred meters below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, microbes in subglacial Lake Whillans create organic carbon that helps power the Southern Ocean’s vast food chain.
Posted inScience Updates
Sustainable Observations of Plankton, the Sea’s Food Foundation
Workshop on Developing an Implementation Plan for a Sustained, Multidisciplinary Global Observing System of Plankton Communities; Santa Cruz, California, 25–27 June 2018
Posted inScience Updates
What Does the Pacific Arctic's New Normal Mean for Marine Life?
Climate change has reconfigured Arctic ecosystems. A 5-year project focuses on the relationships among oceanographic conditions and the animals and other life-forms in this region.
Posted inNews
More Acidic Oceans Could Reduce Fertility for Algae Eaters
New research shows that increased levels of carbon dioxide in the oceans cause changes that alter key nutrients essential to the reproduction of animals low on the food web.
Posted inNews
Giant Balls of Bacteria Pile Up on Arctic Lake Beds, Ooze Toxin
Researchers have found cyanobacteria colonies as big as softballs thriving unexpectedly on shallow Greenland lake bottoms, exuding liver-damaging microcystin. Locals dubbed them "sea tomatoes."