Phytoplankton are microscopic, photosynthetic organisms inhabiting the sunlit (euphotic) layers of aquatic ecosystems, forming the base of most marine and freshwater food webs. Predominantly composed of cyanobacteria, diatoms, dinoflagellates, coccolithophores, and green algae, they fix inorganic carbon via oxygenic photosynthesis, driving primary production and biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon, and trace metals. Their biomass and productivity are tightly regulated by light availability, nutrient concentrations, temperature, and hydrodynamic mixing. Phytoplankton dynamics underpin global carbon export to the deep ocean via the biological pump and strongly influence atmospheric CO₂ levels and climate feedbacks.
On a calm summer's morning in southern Australia, the water can look deceptively clear, until you see thousands of gelatinous shapes washing ashore. In January, thousands of pink lion's mane jellyfish washed into Port Phillip ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 8, 2026
0
12
We are what we eat. And in the ocean, most life-forms source their food from phytoplankton. These microscopic, plant-like algae are the primary food source for krill, sea snails, some small fish, and jellyfish, which in turn ...
Environment
Mar 31, 2026
0
47
In Science of The Total Environment, researchers demonstrate the broad distribution of particulate thiols in the western North Pacific and show that their main source is marine phytoplankton. The analysis indicates that differences ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 22, 2026
0
17
A new study, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Columbia University, identifies a diverse set of molecules released by marine phytoplankton that fuel microbial life and help drive Earth's carbon cycle. ...
Environment
Mar 18, 2026
0
20
From coral reefs and kelp forests to the open ocean and deep-sea zones, nutrients that support phytoplankton growth and marine productivity form the foundation of oceanic ecosystems. When levels of key nutrients—such as nitrate ...
Environment
Mar 12, 2026
1
57
The Southern Ocean—vast, boundless waters surrounding Antarctica—plays an outsized role in global climate, largely thanks to tiny drifting organisms called plankton that soak up carbon. Reporting in Nature Communications ...
Ecology
Mar 10, 2026
0
51
In some parts of the deep ocean, it can look like it's snowing. This "marine snow" is the dust and detritus that organisms slough off as they die and decompose. Marine snow can fall several kilometers to the deepest parts ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 9, 2026
0
24
The coastline of South Australia has been affected for nearly a year by an unprecedented harmful algal bloom which has led to the deaths of millions of fish and sharks, impacted marine mammals and birds and affected the health ...
Ecology
Mar 5, 2026
0
30
Melting ice is an emblem of climate change. For sea ice, the Arctic has been grabbing most of the headlines for its truly alarming rate of decline. But recently Antarctica has followed suit.
Plants & Animals
Mar 2, 2026
0
22
The decline of California's kelp forests since the marine heat wave of 2013–17 has seen only minor recovery despite heroic efforts at restoration carried out by scientists, fishermen, coastal tribes, volunteer divers and ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 24, 2026
0
56
