- n. That part of the plankton of any body of water which consists of plants, usually algæ.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. photosynthetic or plant constituent of plankton; mainly unicellular algae
Actually, most people don't know that this tiny plant life called phytoplankton is so small -- as small as bacteria -- that more than one trillion of them exist in a single drop of water.
The scientists found that long-term phytoplankton declines were negatively correlated with rising sea surface temperatures and changing oceanographic conditions.
This is called a phytoplankton "bloom" and in the blooming, these little guys take up tons of CO2 out of the water, which in turn pulls CO2 out of the air (ie, atmosphere), and - presto!
Each summer, an explosion of tiny ocean-dwelling plants and algae, called phytoplankton, anchors the Arctic food web.
ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Microscopic plants in the ocean called phytoplankton are among the most important creatures on Earth.
Increased UV-B radiation reduces the production of marine phytoplankton, which is the foundation for aquatic food webs, and a major sink for atmospheric CO2.
However, a key role is played by plant microorganisms called phytoplankton, which take in the dissolved gas at the ocean's sunlit surface as part of the process of photosynthesis.
The chain includes the participation of dust storms in the Gobi Desert, the buildup of harmful sulfur dioxide over coastal industrial zones, and a burst in the population of tiny plants in the sea known as phytoplankton, said the researchers.