14.2.3. Phytoplankton - the Carbon Cycle and climate change

♤ Phytoplankton are responsible for most of the transfer of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the ocean. Carbon dioxide is consumed during photosynthesis, and the carbon is incorporated in the phytoplankton, just as carbon is stored in the wood and leaves of a tree. Most of the carbon is returned to near-surface waters when phytoplankton are eaten or decompose, but some falls into the ocean depths.

Worldwide, this “biological carbon pump” transfers about 10 gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean each year. Even small changes in the growth of phytoplankton may affect atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, which would feed back to global surface temperatures.

Do you know?

1. Sharks have a sensory organ called the “ampullae of Lorenzini” which they use to “feel” the electrical field coming from its prey.

2. Silverfish is an insect that can be found in old unused books