Enviro Nutrients Update

The Biology
Without getting too scientific, I'll start with the base of the word. Plankton comes from the Greek word "planktos" meaning wanderer or drifter. (1) Plankton are microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that live, grow and bloom in oceans and lakes and are a vital food source for aquatic life. The word "phyto" is from the Greek word "phyton" which means plant. Phytoplankton are just one of several groups of plankton. Phytoplankton reside near the surface of the water to be able to acquire sufficient light to support photosynthesis. Marine phytoplankton live in the ocean.

The Food Source
Phytoplankton are a valuable source of nourishment and the primary food source for most all aquatic life and sea organisms.(2) Whales live to be 150 years old and have a vibrant sex life until death and their source of nutrients is the lowly phytoplankton. Marine phytoplankton is considered to be the "first food" - it is the beginning of the food chain.

The Nutrition Source
From the smallest organisms to the largest whales, phytoplankton is the source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids. These nutrients that are deemed essential for human health, and that we derive from eating fish, are in the phytoplankton that are consumed as fish food. The fatty acids are not the only nutrients found in these single-cell organisms. In fact, there over 60 nutrients including 14 types of amino acids, complex carbohydrates, 72 ionic essential and trace sea minerals, and Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C and E. See Phytoids

The Oxygen Source
In this NASA video, Michael Starobin explains that phytoplankton produce up to 50% of the earth's oxygen supply.

Find more videos like this on Sta.rtUp.Biz - The Small Business Social Network

Causes Global Climate Change and Indicators of Global Change
Phytoplankton use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. The larger the world's phytoplankton population, the more carbon dioxide gets pulled from the atmosphere, hence, the lower the average temperature due to lower volumes of this greenhouse gas. Large populations of this organism, sustained over long periods of time, could significantly lower atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and, in turn, lower average temperatures.

Phytoplankton depend upon sunlight, water, and nutrients to survive. Physical or chemical variance in any of these ingredients over time for a given region will affect the phytoplankton concentrations there. Populations of this marine plant will grow or diminish rapidly in response to changes in its environment. Changes in the trends for a given phytoplankton population—such as its density, areal distribution, and rate of population growth or diminishment — will alert Earth scientists that environmental conditions are changing there. Then, by comparing these phytoplankton trends to other measurements—such as temperature—scientists can learn more about how phytoplankton may be contributing to, and affected by, climatic and environmental change. (3)

This sequence of SeaWiFS ocean color imagery shows the impact of the recent El Niño on the productivity of phytoplankton around the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean. The top image was taken during the height of the 1997-98 El Niño, while the bottom image was taken during the more recent La Niña. Note the gradually flourishing bloom of phytoplankton as the surface waters cool, allowing the deeper, more nutrient-rich waters to upwell. (Courtesy of the SeaWiFS Project)

Phytoplankton are so important to earth, NASA built a Biogeochemical Laboratory just to study them. The Laboratory will allow researchers to:
(1) understand how phytoplankton absorb light for phtosynthesis;
(2) assess concentrations, pigments, and microscopy

NASA continues to study how phytoplankton effect the Earth's carbon cycle. As phytoplankton grow, they absorb carbon dioxide, a heat- trapping greenhouse gas. The gas is carried to the ocean floor as a carbon form when the tiny plants die. This enables atmospheric carbon to get into the deep ocean. It is one of several natural processes that contribute to Earth’s carbon cycle. Scientists are still trying to determine how much carbon dioxide might be removed from such a process.

Dr. Gene Feldman sums it up: Earth’s oceans are wide reaching and teeming with life. One microscopic aquatic organism plays a major role in making life on Earth possible: phytoplankton.

[Dr. Gene Carl Feldman]: If it weren’t for phytoplankton, the Earth as we know it would probably not be able to exist. Life on this planet pretty much depends upon phytoplankton.

Light and the presence of nutrients in the surface waters make phytoplankton growth possible. Physical processes like ocean circulation and upwelling help to regulate the distribution and abundance of the plants. (4)

Sources:
(1) http://www.wikipedia.org
(2) http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/458948/phytoplankton
(3) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Phytoplankton/phytoplankton2.php
(4) http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/podcasting/Deadzone.html