What are plankton?

CGTN Europe

These microorganisms are essential to the health of not just our oceans, but our planet. Many are too small for the human eye to see, others are much bigger like some crustaceans and even jellyfish!  Watch the full RAZOR episode on our YouTube channel to find out more about these fascinating creatures. Just look for the RAZOR science show.   #razor #razor_science #razor_science_show #razorscienceshow  #science #sciencetok #plankton #plymouth #marineecology #climatechange #whatareplankton #oceanconservation

Transcript

00:00Plankton are everywhere.

00:06The unmistakable smell of the seaside, that's decaying plankton.

00:12The varying shades of blue and green of the ocean, that's plankton.

00:19But just what is this mesmerisingly beautiful and complex organism?

00:24Explain to me, what are plankton?

00:27Well they are the workhorses of the oceans, and not just oceans but rivers, streams, any

00:33water contains thousands and thousands of different plankton species.

00:37They fix carbon dioxide as carbon and then that becomes the biomass, that's the food

00:42source for further up the food chain.

00:45They produce oxygen for all marine ecosystems, marine organisms, and that's really fundamental

00:50for human food security, you know we rely on so much on fish, aquaculture, and they're

00:56all feeding on the plankton so they have a very important role.

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