Shedding New Light on the Ocean’s Living Carbon Pump
Phytoplankton play a crucial role in ocean biology and climate. Understanding the natural processes that influence phytoplankton primary production, and how they are changing as…
Phytoplankton News
Can Seeding Earth’s Oceans With Iron on a Global Scale Solve Climate Change?
Study finds Earth’s oceans contain just the right amount of iron; adding more may not improve their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Historically, the oceans…
Oceanographers Predict Phytoplankton Increase by 2100, Contrary to Common Belief in Environmental Science Community
Machine learning Earth system model projects higher numbers in low-latitude regions. A neural network-driven Earth system model has led University of California, Irvine (UCI) oceanographers…
Phytoplankton Bloom off Hawaii Island Fueled by Kilauea Lava
When Kīlauea Volcano erupted in 2018, it injected millions of cubic feet of molten lava into the nutrient-poor waters off Hawaiʻi Island. The lava-impacted seawater…
Scientists Reveal How Phytoplankton Survive in Nutrient Deficient Ocean Gyres
Subtropical gyres are huge, sustained currents spanning thousands of kilometers across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, where very little grows. With nutrients in short supply,…
Scientists Believe Tiny Sea Creatures Hold Secrets to Earth’s Climate
Each new season brings change. Seasonal change on land is something that we’re familiar with and adjust to regularly. But what happens to billions of…
New Model Helps Solve the Mystery of the Arctic’s Green Ice
A team of researchers is using a new model to explain the blooms of phytoplankton growing under Arctic sea ice. In 2011, researchers observed something…
The Unintended Consequences of Geoengineering a Cooler Atmosphere
In a newly published study, scientists from MIT reveal unintended consequences of an idea to stimulate ocean phytoplankton growth in order to geoengineer a cooler…
Phytoplankton Are Extremely Sensitive to Changing Levels of Desert Dust
A newly published study shows that phytoplankton are extremely sensitive to changing levels of desert dust, revealing that the intensity of desert storms may affect…
Impact of Ocean Acidification on Phytoplankton Communities
A newly published study from MIT and colleagues shows that ocean acidification may cause dramatic changes to phytoplankton communities, recealing that many species may die…
