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Phytoplankton: Shahin Mammadov

Phytoplankton are microorganisms and micro algae that thrive along coastlines, continental shelves, and in the equator and Arctic oceans. They provide food for many ocean creatures and are the base of the ocean food web. Phytoplankton also produce about half the world's oxygen through photosynthesis and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, transferring 10 gigatons of carbon to the oceans annually. While individual phytoplankton have short lifespans, they play a critical role in atmospheric carbon levels. Phytoplankton growth can be affected by sunlight, nutrients from the wind and currents, and an overabundance can cause harmful algal blooms with toxic effects. They are extremely important

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Şahin Məmmədov
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26 views1 page

Phytoplankton: Shahin Mammadov

Phytoplankton are microorganisms and micro algae that thrive along coastlines, continental shelves, and in the equator and Arctic oceans. They provide food for many ocean creatures and are the base of the ocean food web. Phytoplankton also produce about half the world's oxygen through photosynthesis and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, transferring 10 gigatons of carbon to the oceans annually. While individual phytoplankton have short lifespans, they play a critical role in atmospheric carbon levels. Phytoplankton growth can be affected by sunlight, nutrients from the wind and currents, and an overabundance can cause harmful algal blooms with toxic effects. They are extremely important

Uploaded by

Şahin Məmmədov
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton (Greek words, phyto (plant) and plankton (made to wander or drift)) are mico
organisms and they also known as micro algae. Phytoplankton mostly located and thrive
coastlines and continental shelves, along the equator in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and
high-latitude areas. Nowadays phytoplankton are increasing in the Arctic Ocean. Because
recent decades in this region has warmed and sea ice
has disappeared. Another reasons are that open water
are is expanding and growing season is longer.
Phytoplankton have two main classes:
1. Dinoflagellates- They use flagella or whip-line tail to
move through water.
2. Diatoms- They use ocean currents to move through
water.
Phytoplankton provide food for a wide range of sea creatures like whales, snails, jellyfish,
shimps and others. Phytoplankton are the base of ocean food web. In short, phytoplankton make
possible ocean life for a lot of creatures.
Phytoplankton provide about half of the atmosphere’s oxygen per year. All phytoplankton do
photosynthesis prosses. And they transfers most part of the carbon dioxide (CO 2) from
atmosphere to the ocean and it means CO2 is consumed durning photosynthesis by
phytoplankton and carbon is uncorporated in phytoplankton as carbon is incorporated in the
wood and leaves of tree. Phytoplankton transfer 10 gigatonnes of carbon from atmosphere to the
ocean each year. So scientists called phytoplankton as “biological carbon pumps”. An
individual phytoplankton life is rarely more than a few days but even small changes in the
growth of phytoplankton can affect atmospheric carbon concentration.
Phytoplankton consume sunlight, iron, nitrogen, phosphors and different nutrients besides CO 2.
Wind play an important role in the distribution of phytoplankton because wind drive currents
and they cause deep water, loaded with nutrients, to be pulled up to surface. If too many
nutrients are available, then phytoplankton can grow out of control and form Harmful Algal
blooms (HABs). These blooms can produce extreme harmful toxic compounds and have harmful
effect on fish, shellfish, mammals, birds and even humans.
Phytoplankton are one of the most important and critical organisms in the world and if we want
to understand life, Earth, enviroment better, then we must understand them, their quality,
structures well enough.

Shahin Mammadov
12.07.2020
Article №1

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