#Plankton mark #seasons in the #sea, just like leaves and flowers on land.

#microbiome #phytoplankton

https://theconversation.com/plankton-mark-seasons-in-the-sea-just-like-leaves-and-flowers-on-land-237167

Plankton mark seasons in the sea, just like leaves and flowers on land

Plankton bloom and wither with the seasons much as plants do on land.

^{The Conversation}

Over the past few weeks, a #phytoplankton #bloom has been observed in the northern Adriatic Sea.

High temperatures and freshwater inputs from recent heavy rainfall have favoured the bloom.

The freshwater input has reduced the sea surface salinity, creating an ideal environment for the rapid proliferation of phytoplankton.

Rising temperatures have further accelerated the process, making the bloom so large that it is even visible from space.

The bloom has also led to the formation of #mucilage, which has accumulated along the coasts of some Italian regions bordering the Adriatic Sea.

This image, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 7 August 2024,
shows both the mucilage (in white) and the phytoplankton bloom (in green) off the coast of the city of Rimini.

https://www.copernicus.eu/en/media/image-day-gallery/phytoplankton-bloom-adriatic-sea

Sunday #Plankton #Factoid 🦐🦠

Coccolithophores (phylum Haptista) are a type of #phytoplankton covered in white calcium carbonate coccolith plates. Blooms in the surface seas can be seen in satellite images because these shells. They are the primary component in #chalk deposits such as the white cliffs of Dover (the "calcite belt" in the temperate north) and as such are very important for the biological carbon pump.
#climate
Emiliania huxleyi (below) is a common species.
https://joidesresolution.org/the-magical-world-of-coccolithophores/