Notes on Phytoplankton from ouramazingplanet.com
-Across the globe, phytoplankton, the microscopic plants at the base of the food chain, have been disappearing at the rate of 1%/yr.
-These plants produce half the organic matter on the planet and play an important role in the earth's carbon cycle.
-A study documented a connection between rising sea surface temperatures and declines in phytoplankton.
-Ocean transparency is an indicator of phytoplankton abundance.
-Rising surface temperatures prevent mixing between the oceans' oxygen-rich upper layers, where phytoplankton are present, and the colder, more nutrient-rich waters below.
-Rising surface temperatures are associated with declining phytoplankton in 8 of 10 regions. Of the other two regions, the North Indian Ocean had a stable phytoplankton population and the South Indian Ocean showed growth.
-The decline in phytoplankton seen around the poles, where it seems logical that increasing warmth would drive more growth, could be driven by increasing winds and ocean mixing.
-Local factors such as polar melting and nutrient-rich runoff from agriculture also can influence the phytoplankton.
-The only driver we have that affects phytoplankton everywhere is ocean warming.
