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>Generally, waters that are deep blue reflect very little life, whereas greener waters indicate the presence of ecosystems, and mainly phytoplankton—plant-like
by petermcneeley 3y ago
>Generally, waters that are deep blue reflect very little life, whereas greener waters indicate the presence of ecosystems, and mainly phytoplankton—plant-like microbes that are abundant in upper ocean and that contain the green pigment chlorophyll. The pigment helps plankton harvest sunlight, which they use to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into sugars.
This is a negative feedback on global warming?
- wseqyrku 3y agoHow did you come up with that connection?
- petermcneeley 3y agoI was quoting from the reference article https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ocean-consequence-climate.html https://phys.org/news/2023-07-ocean-consequence-climate.html
- emmelaich 3y agoNegative as in reducing global warming, yes. Phytoplankton are an enormous carbon sink. I don't know why we'd "fear" a greener ocean. It's probably a return to the colour of 200 years ago.
- myshpa 3y agoThe seas are not greener because we have more phytoplankton. Also, there are many species of phytoplankton, some even harmful, so it may mean changes in their biodiversity. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/phytoplankton-population/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/phytoplankton-pop... Phytoplankton Population Drops 40 Percent Since 1950 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2019591118 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2019591118 Phytoplankton biodiversity is more important for ecosystem functioning in highly variable thermal environments https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25699-w https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25699-w We find that the rate of turnover in the phytoplankton community becomes faster during this century, that is, the community structure becomes increasingly unstable in response to climate change. Combined with alterations to phytoplankton diversity, our results imply a loss of ecological resilience with likely knock-on effects on the productivity and functioning of the marine environment.
- emmelaich 3y agoThanks, interesting. What do you mean by harmful though? I didn't see harm mentioned in that article. I suspect the reduced nutrients have a far greater effect that sea surface temperatures.
- myshpa 3y agohttps://phys.org/news/2023-06-nasa-phytoplankton-species-space.html https://phys.org/news/2023-06-nasa-phytoplankton-species-spa... Not all phytoplankton are beneficial for ecosystems. Some species can produce toxins that are dangerous for humans or other marine species. These harmful algal blooms can disrupt ecosystems as well as daily life for people near coasts, lakes, and rivers. Blooms of cyanobacteria, for example, can spoil drinking water and recreational water use with the toxins they generate.