Latest news with #zooplankton
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tiny creatures gorge, get fat, and help fight global warming
A tiny, obscure animal often sold as aquarium food has been quietly protecting our planet from global warming by undertaking an epic migration, according to new research. These "unsung heroes" called zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of metres into the deep ocean in Antarctica where they burn the fat. This locks away as much planet-warming carbon as the annual emissions of roughly 55 million petrol cars, stopping it from further warming our atmosphere, according to researchers. This is much more than scientists expected. But just as researchers uncover this service to our planet, threats to the zooplankton are growing. Scientists have spent years probing the animal's annual migration in Antarctic waters, or the Southern Ocean, and what it means for climate change. The findings are "remarkable", says lead author Dr Guang Yang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding that it forces a re-think about how much carbon the Southern Ocean stores. "The animals are an unsung hero because they have such a cool way of life," says co-author Dr Jennifer Freer from British Antarctic Survey. But compared to the most popular Antarctic animals like the whale or penguin, the small but mighty zooplankton are overlooked and under-appreciated. If anyone has heard of them, it's probably as a type of fish food available to buy online. But their life cycle is odd and fascinating. Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and lobsters. Just 1-10mm in size, they spend most of their lives asleep between 500m to 2km deep in the ocean. In pictures taken under a microscope, you can see long sausages of fat inside their bodies, and fat bubbles in their heads, explains Prof Daniel Mayor who photographed them in Antarctica. Without them, our planet's atmosphere would be significantly warmer. Globally the oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat humans have created by burning fossil fuels. Of that figure, the Southern Ocean is responsible for about 40%, and a lot of that is down to zooplankton. Millions of pounds is being spent globally to understand how exactly they store carbon. Scientists were already aware that the zooplankton contributed to carbon storage in a daily process when the animals carbon-rich waste sinks to the deep ocean. But what happened when the animals migrate in the Southern Ocean had not been quantified. The latest research focussed on copepods, as well as other types of zooplankton called krill, and salps. The creatures eat phytoplankton on the ocean surface which grow by transforming carbon dioxide into living matter through photosynthesis. This turns into fat in the zooplankton. "Their fat is like a battery pack. When they spend the winter deep in the ocean, they just sit and slowly burn off this fat or carbon," explains Prof Daniel Mayor at University of Exeter, who was not part of the study. "This releases carbon dioxide. Because of the way the oceans work, if you put carbon really deep down, it takes decades or even centuries for that CO2 to come out and contribute to atmospheric warming," he says. The research team calculated that this process - called the seasonal vertical migration pump - transports 65 million tonnes of carbon annually to at least 500m below the ocean surface. Of that, it found that copepods contribute the most, followed by krill and salps. That is roughly equivalent to the emissions from driving 55 million diesel cars for a year, according to a greenhouse gas emissions calculator by the US EPA. The latest research looked at data stretching back to the 1920s to quantify this carbon storage, also called carbon sequestration. But the scientific discovery is ongoing as researchers seek to understand more details about the migration cycle. Earlier this year, Dr Freer and Prof Mayor spent two months on the Sir David Attenborough polar research ship near the South Orkney island and South Georgia. Using large nets the scientists caught zooplankton and brought the animals onboard. "We worked in complete darkness under red light so we didn't disturb them," says Dr Freer. "Others worked in rooms kept at 3-4C. You wear a lot of protection to stay there for hours at a time looking down the microscope," she adds. But warming waters as well as commercial harvesting of krill could threaten the future of zooplankton. "Climate change, disturbance to ocean layers and extreme weather are all threats," explains Prof Atkinson. This could reduce the amount of zooplankton in Antarctica and limit the carbon stored in the deep ocean. Krill fishing companies harvested almost half a million tonnes of krill in 2020, according to the UN. It is permitted under international law, but has been criticised by environmental campaigners including in the recent David Attenborough Ocean documentary. The scientists say their new findings should be incorporated into climate models that forecast how much our planet will warm. "If this biological pump didn't exist, atmospheric CO2 levels would be roughly twice those as they are at the moment. So the oceans are doing a pretty good job of mopping up CO2 and getting rid of it," explains co-author Prof Angus Atkinson. The research is published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography. Why scientists are counting tiny marine creatures, from Space 'Glimmer of hope' for marine life at UN Ocean conference A simple guide to climate change Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to get exclusive insight on the latest climate and environment news from the BBC's Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, delivered to your inbox every week. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Tiny creature gorges, gets fat, and locks up planet-warming carbon
A tiny, obscure animal often sold as aquarium food has been quietly protecting our planet from global warming by undertaking an epic migration, according to new "unsung heroes" called zooplankton gorge themselves and grow fat in spring before sinking hundreds of metres into the deep ocean in Antarctica where they burn the locks away as much planet-warming carbon as the annual emissions of roughly 55 million petrol cars, stopping it from further warming our atmosphere, according to is much more than scientists expected. But just as researchers uncover this service to our planet, threats to the zooplankton are growing. Scientists have spent years probing the animal's annual migration in Antarctic waters, or the Southern Ocean, and what it means for climate findings are "remarkable", says lead author Dr Guang Yang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, adding that it forces a re-think about how much carbon the Southern Ocean stores. "The animals are an unsung hero because they have such a cool way of life," says co-author Dr Jennifer Freer from British Antarctic compared to the most popular Antarctic animals like the whale or penguin, the small but mighty zooplankton are overlooked and under-appreciated. If anyone has heard of them, it's probably as a type of fish food available to buy their life cycle is odd and fascinating. Take the copepod, a type of zooplankton that is a distant relative of crabs and 1-10mm in size, they spend most of their lives asleep between 500m to 2km deep in the ocean. In pictures taken under a microscope, you can see long sausages of fat inside their bodies, and fat bubbles in their heads, explains Prof Daniel Mayor who photographed them in them, our planet's atmosphere would be significantly the oceans have absorbed 90% of the excess heat humans have created by burning fossil fuels. Of that figure, the Southern Ocean is responsible for about 40%, and a lot of that is down to zooplankton. Millions of pounds is being spent globally to understand how exactly they store were already aware that the zooplankton contributed to carbon storage in a daily process when the animals carbon-rich waste sinks to the deep what happened when the animals migrate in the Southern Ocean had not been quantified. The latest research focussed on copepods, as well as other types of zooplankton called krill, and creatures eat phytoplankton on the ocean surface which grow by transforming carbon dioxide into living matter through photosynthesis. This turns into fat in the zooplankton."Their fat is like a battery pack. When they spend the winter deep in the ocean, they just sit and slowly burn off this fat or carbon," explains Prof Daniel Mayor at University of Exeter, who was not part of the study."This releases carbon dioxide. Because of the way the oceans work, if you put carbon really deep down, it takes decades or even centuries for that CO2 to come out and contribute to atmospheric warming," he says. The research team calculated that this process - called the seasonal vertical migration pump - transports 65 million tonnes of carbon annually to at least 500m below the ocean that, it found that copepods contribute the most, followed by krill and is roughly equivalent to the emissions from driving 55 million diesel cars for a year, according to a greenhouse gas emissions calculator by the US EPA. The latest research looked at data stretching back to the 1920s to quantify this carbon storage, also called carbon the scientific discovery is ongoing as researchers seek to understand more details about the migration cycle. Earlier this year, Dr Freer and Prof Mayor spent two months on the Sir David Attenborough polar research ship near the South Orkney island and South large nets the scientists caught zooplankton and brought the animals onboard."We worked in complete darkness under red light so we didn't disturb them," says Dr Freer."Others worked in rooms kept at 3-4C. You wear a lot of protection to stay there for hours at a time looking down the microscope," she adds. But warming waters as well as commercial harvesting of krill could threaten the future of zooplankton."Climate change, disturbance to ocean layers and extreme weather are all threats," explains Prof could reduce the amount of zooplankton in Antarctica and limit the carbon stored in the deep fishing companies harvested almost half a million tonnes of krill in 2020, according to the is permitted under international law, but has been criticised by environmental campaigners including in the recent David Attenborough Ocean scientists say their new findings should be incorporated into climate models that forecast how much our planet will warm."If this biological pump didn't exist, atmospheric CO2 levels would be roughly twice those as they are at the moment. So the oceans are doing a pretty good job of mopping up CO2 and getting rid of it," explains co-author Prof Angus research is published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to get exclusive insight on the latest climate and environment news from the BBC's Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt, delivered to your inbox every week. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Plankton can investigate crime, affect the climate and influence science
Not much attention is paid to plankton because these creatures are usually hidden from sight. They are mostly microscopic in size and live in aquatic environments, but human lives are intricately connected with plankton. The etymology of 'plankton' originates from the ancient Greek word for 'drifter.' Plankton refers to all organisms suspended in all types of waters (oceans, lakes, rivers and even groundwaters), including viruses, bacteria, insects, larval fish and jellyfish. Plankton come in many shapes and sizes, but what unites all of them is a tendency to drift with currents. Read more: There are both plant (phytoplankton) and animal (zooplankton) types, as well as organisms that blur the line by belonging to both. These include carnivorous plants or photosynthesizing animals (mixoplankton). We are an international group of researchers working on plankton that inhabit aquatic waters from high alpine lakes to the deep oceans. We represent a much larger consortium of researchers (the Plankton Passionates) who have recently considered all the ways in which plankton are crucial for human well-being, society, activity and life on our planet. In our work, we have identified six broad themes that allow us to classify the value of plankton. Plankton are integral to the ecological functioning of all aquatic environments. For example, phytoplankton use photosynthesis to create biomass that is transferred throughout the ecosystem, much as plants and trees do on land. Phytoplankton are mostly eaten by zooplankton, which are in turn prime food for fish like sardines and herring. These small fish are fed upon by larger fish and birds. That means healthy food-web functioning is critically sustained by plankton. Plankton play a critical role in other ways that affect the ecological functioning of aquatic environments. Specifically, plankton affect the cycles of matter and the bio-geochemistry of their ecosystems. While phytoplankton use sunlight to grow and reproduce, they also move nutrients, oxygen and carbon around. Phytoplankton are an essential climate variable — studying them provides key indicators for planetary health and climate change — because they capture carbon dioxide (CO2). When phytoplankton are eaten by zooplankton, and these animals die and sink to the bottom of water bodies, this stores carbon away from the atmosphere to where it can no longer contribute to climate change; this process is known as the biological carbon pump. However, other plankton, primarily bacteria and fungi, are involved in decomposition of dead material that remains in the water column and their activity recycles chemical elements essential for other organisms. Together with the biological carbon pump, this decomposition activity can have global consequences in climate regulation. Plankton have also played a role in several human endeavours, including the evolution of science itself advancing many theoretical developments in ecology, such as the study of biodiversity. This diversity of plankton forms — including organisms that look like crystals or jewelry — have fascinated researchers. Several theories or frameworks used throughout ecology have emerged from studying plankton, but their applications go further. For example, Russian biologist Georgy Gause observed competition among plankton, leading to his competitive exclusion principle that's now commonly applied in socioeconomic contexts. Breakthroughs and even Nobel Prizes (medicine) have stemmed from the study of plankton (jellyfish stings, advancing allergy studies. Similarly, research on freshwater ciliate telomeres and the use of fluorescent jellyfish proteins have contributed to further understanding of ageing and cancer. Certain plankton species are used as diagnostic tools in forensic science. Others are often used as models in biomedical and ecotoxicological research. Because of their foundational role in aquatic food webs, plankton are critical to many human economies. Many planktonic organisms are cultured directly for human consumption including jellyfish, krill, shrimp and copepod zooplankton. Virtually all protein in aquatic ecosystems comes from plankton. Some are used as supplements, such as spirulina powder or omega-3 vitamins from krill or copepods. Several plankton-derived compounds are highly prized in medicine, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, including some plankton toxins used for their immune-stimulating effects. Luciferases are a group of enzymes produced by bioluminescent organisms, including many marine plankton, and are also important in biomedical research. On the other hand, plankton can also lead to high economic costs when harmful algal blooms, like toxic red tides, occur along coastlines or cyanobacterial blooms arise in lakes. Finally, our research considers the role of plankton in human culture, recreation and well-being. Beyond their use as a food source and in medicine, plankton can be culturally important. Bioluminescent marine dinoflagellates create incredibly powerful nighttime displays in coastal regions, forming the basis for cultural events and tourist attractions. Diatoms are a type of phytoplankton present in all aquatic ecosystems, and their silica-rich skeletons have been used for flint tools during the Stone Age and as opal in jewelry. The often strange structural forms of plankton have inspired architects and engineers, including the designers of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele and the former Monumental Gate (Porte Binet) in Paris. Plankton have inspired many artists, the first being biologist Ernst Haeckel. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services adopted the Life Framework of Values. This framework centres living from, with, in and as nature as a position from which to inform policies around biodiversity and ecosystem services. Plankton are critical to all of these components. We all benefit from plankton due to their essential role in regulating aquatic habitats, their long-term involvement in climate regulation and the vital resources they provide to humanity. Humanity lives with plankton as their incredible diversity connects life across land and water and is one of the driving forces behind Earth's ecological stability and ecosystem services that we value. Plankton are part of humanity's living in nature, which emphasizes their vital role in our identity, lifestyles and culture. Plankton profoundly affect communities bordering water, but also those further away through plankton-inspired art and design. Finally, living as nature highlights the physical, mental and spiritual interconnectedness with the natural world. We need to better recognize the value of plankton as a resource, and as an essential part of stabilizing Earth systems and maintaining them for human well-being. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organisation bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Beatrix Beisner, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM); Maria Grigoratou, Umeå University; Sakina-Dorothée Ayata, Sorbonne Université, and Susanne Menden-Deuer, University of Rhode Island Read more: We study 'planktivores' – and found an amazing diversity of shapes among plankton-feeding fishes Tiny oceanic plankton adapted to warming during the last ice age, but probably won't survive future climate change – new study Sea plankton shells hold key to millions of years of climate data Beatrix Beisner receives funding from NSERC. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Plankton Research (Oxford University Press) and a member of the Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie (GRIL), an FRQNT-funded network. Maria Grigoratou receives funding from the NSF project WARMEM (OCE-1851866) and the EU-funded HORIZON Europe projects EU4OceanObs2.0 and BioEcoOcean (101136748) to Maria Grigoratou. Maria is now affiliated with the European Polar Board. Sakina-Dorothée Ayata receives funding from the European Commission (NECCTON, iMagine, Blue-Cloud2026 projects), the French National Research Agency (ANR, Traitzoo project), and the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF). Susanne Menden-Deuer receives funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation and NASA.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Researchers hope tracking zooplankton from space will help endangered whales
Researchers are hoping a technique that identifies zooplankton from space will eventually help them track the movement of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine. Scientists at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine are using NASA satellite data to attempt to identify Calanus finmarchicus, the tiny zooplankton that are the main food source of North Atlantic right whales. The zooplankton, which are smaller than a grain of rice, contain a reddish pigment — the same pigment that makes salmon look pink. When large quantities of the creatures congregate at the water's surface, that pigment affects the spectrum of sunlight that is absorbed and reflected, and the satellite can detect the resulting colour shift. The researchers hope that by tracking the presence of zooplankton, they will someday be able to predict the movement of North Atlantic right whales, and hone attempts to protect them. "The Gulf of Maine conditions have been changing. They've been rapidly warming. And we believe that means their main food source has moved to a different location," says Catherine Mitchell, a senior research scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory and co-author of a new study about the ocean colour technique. "So if we know where the whales are, it could help inform the conversation around their conservation." North Atlantic right whales are nearing extinction, with only about 370 remaining, and only about 70 breeding females. After 17 dead whales were identified in Canada and the United States in 2017, Canada implemented restrictions on fishing and ship speeds in certain areas of the Atlantic region to prevent further deaths due to vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear. Knowing where the whales are, and where they might go, could help governments more efficiently use fishing closures or vessel speed restrictions to protect them. Seeing red The Bigelow Laboratory researchers got the idea of using the satellite data to try to find Calanus finmarchicus from a previous study that was done off Norway. But when they started reviewing the data from the Gulf of Maine dating back to 2003, they noticed something unusual. "We were detecting patterns out of the season when we would expect to see Calanus finmarchicus, which made us realize that we were seeing other things too," Mitchell said. The model was picking up not just Calanus finmarchicus, but other zooplankton that contain the same red pigment. Mitchell and Rebekah Shunmugapandi, lead author and post-doctoral scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory, are now trying to refine their method to try to pinpoint the North Atlantic right whale's favourite food species. Shunmugapandi is working to validate some of the satellite data with in-the-water observations from researchers in the Gulf of Maine as well as actual right whale sightings. "They move along with their prey, right?" Shunmugapandi said. "So with all those in situ Calunus and the right whale sighting data set … it's kind of a reverse study that I'm doing." New satellite, new possibilities One potential solution to differentiating Calanus finmarchicus from other red-pigmented zooplankton could be orbiting the Earth right now. The researchers have so far relied on data from NASA's Aqua satellite, but the instrument used to capture the light spectrum, MODIS, is nearing the end of its lifespan. However, NASA's newer PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite, which was launched last year, could vastly improve scientists' abilities to analyze ocean colour. Aqua's light-detecting instrument identifies 10 wavelengths of light. The researchers used only three of its wavelengths for their study. The new instrument aboard PACE, called the Ocean Color Instrument, can detect 280 wavelengths. Shunmugapandi says researchers would need to develop a new computer model to analyze a wider spectrum of light. "The hope is that with much more wavelengths, we might be able to tease out some more things, particularly things actually like the different species," Mitchell says. '1 piece of the puzzle' Currently, zooplankton researchers attempt to identify and track species by collecting them in nets to examine, using video cameras that function as underwater microscopes, and studying acoustics in the water. Catherine Johnson is a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada who specializes in zooplankton ecology. She says quantifying and identifying zooplankton is difficult because the ocean is so vast and their distribution is variable over space and time. Most sampling techniques work best when they're focused in a specific area or time frame. Johnson, who was not involved in the new study, says remote sensing of zooplankton could be a tool in the toolbox of scientists. "It has the potential to provide good coverage over space and time if you're looking for exceptionally dense and large aggregations that are right near the surface," she said. "It's one piece of the puzzle, and I think that the study is a proof of concept to try to apply these methods in an area where they haven't been applied before." Mitchell and Shunmugapandi agree there's lots more work to be done. "Science is a process and we're not saying that this satellite product we've made is the be-all and end-all answer to understanding where right whales are," says Mitchell. "We are just trying to provide an extra piece of information that could be useful to the story and helpful to people."
