---

• n  photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae

• That, in turn, could threaten krill, shrimplike creatures that feed on phytoplankton and are a key link in Antarctica's food chain.
• Scientists theorize that the phytoplankton population is governed by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• As they melt, the bergs are releasing that highly nutritious dust, which feeds phytoplankton, a microscopic form of oceanic plant life on which shrimplike krill feed.

News & Articles

---

• Studying Carbon Dioxide Absorption In Antarctic Seas
  Georgia Institute of Technology The seas around Antarctica can, at times, resemble a garden. Large-scale experiments where scientists spray iron into the waters, literally fertilizing phytoplankton, have created huge man-made algal blooms. Such geoengineering experiments produce diatoms , which pull carbon dioxide out of the air. Experts argue that this practice can help offset Earth’s rising ...
  June 13, 2013 - redOrbit
• Climate: Study shows possible pitfalls of ‘seeding’ oceans
  Stimulating phytoplankton could backfire By Summit Voice One of the ideas that has surfaced most often is adding certain types of nutrients to the oceans to stimulate algae production in the hopes of reducing CO2. But new research shows that the law of unintended consequences always applies, perhaps even more so when experimenting with climate […]
  June 13, 2013 - Summit County Citizens Voice
• This Week in Nature
  In this week’s Nature , researchers from California State University reported the reference genome of the marine phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi — an ecologically important species given its impact on the global carbon cycle, driving either CO 2 production or uptake, sequestration, and export to the deep ocean.
  June 13, 2013 - GenomeWeb News

Quotes

---

• Wolff in Science Daily (press release)
  Professor George Wolff, from the University's Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, explains: "We found that cyanobacteria - a type of ancient phytoplankton - are significant to the understanding of how ocean deserts can support plant growth....
• Larry Smarr in PC Magazine
  The base of the foodchain is the microbial bacteria and phytoplankton in the ocean, Smarr explained, "but we know next to nothing about it."