Plankton Trawling
North Atlantic - 32° 32’ N, 11° 02’ W
Today we all learned about the most important organism on Earth – Plankton! First Regitze gave an introduction about plankton in the deckhouse, thereafter we deployed a plankton net and trawled for plankton for 15 min. The plankton net was securely rigged and watched closely during the 15 min. trawl. In the meantime data about time, location and weather condition was obtained. After 15 min of trawling we hoisted the plankton net and had a look at the sample inside. We transferred the sample onto Petri dishes and tried to identify the many different species under the stereo- microscope.
What is Plankton?
Planktons are organisms that drift in the ocean, ranging from microscopic bacteria, algae, and protozoa to larger forms like
jellyfish. They are defined by their limited ability to move against currents, and are often grouped as phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Why should you care about plankton?
Plankton are arguably the most important organism on Earth
Base of food web
→ key food source for many marine animals
Atmospheric regulation
→ produce 50-70 % of the oxygen we breathe. Phytoplankton capture energy from sunlight. This energy powers photosynthesis, use carbon dioxide and water to build organic molecules and release oxygen.
→ use carbon dioxide and water to build organic molecules and release oxygen.
→ move carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, which helps reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this way, plankton indirectly contribute to regulating the global climate.
