3 posters
The earth's oceans
bobhardee- Posts : 3445
Join date : 2012-09-08
Age : 74
Location : The Sandhills of SC
B.B.Baghor- Posts : 1851
Join date : 2014-01-31
Age : 73
Location : Druid county UK
A satellite image, by mistake it's dated midsummer 2016, but we've not yet arrived in summer, have we? Nowadays our
experience of time can be a bit different, at times. Hm?
Phytoplankton are the grass of the sea. They are floating, drifting, plant-like organisms that harness the energy of the sun,
mix it with carbon dioxide that they take from the atmosphere, and turn it into carbohydrates and oxygen. Phytoplankton are
critical to the marine food web, being the primary producers of food for the oceanic food web, from zooplankton to fish and
shellfish to whales.
In mid-summer 2016 in the southern hemisphere, they took up a large part of the Southern Ocean, stretching from the tip of
South America to the Antarctic peninsula.
The blooms in this image formed just west of the Drake passage, one of the most turbulent mixing regions in the ocean.
Winds and water currents are steady and strong, and the ocean and atmosphere exchange a lot of heat, water, and other
natural chemicals. With abundant summer sunshine and lots of nutrients being churned up, the waters can become a factory
for the creation of oxygen.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/14/satellite-eye-on-earth-february-2016-in-pictures
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
B.B.Baghor wrote: With abundant summer sunshine and lots of nutrients being churned up, the waters can become a factory
for the creation of oxygen.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/14/satellite-eye-on-earth-february-2016-in-pictures[/size]
Only during the day!!
At night they dont photosynthesize, but respire (as animals do) and use oxygen and produce CO2. If occurring in high numbers they strip the oxygen from the water completely.. these vast swings between oxygen supersaturation (day) and oxygen depletion (night) are bad news for fish and and other animals that live in the sea.
Many of these algae also produce toxins... and their very presence can be a nuisance, blocking fish gills etc...
B.B.Baghor- Posts : 1851
Join date : 2014-01-31
Age : 73
Location : Druid county UK
Vidya Moksha wrote:B.B.Baghor wrote: With abundant summer sunshine and lots of nutrients being churned up, the waters can become a factory
for the creation of oxygen.
Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/14/satellite-eye-on-earth-february-2016-in-pictures[/size]
Only during the day!!
At night they dont photosynthesize, but respire (as animals do) and use oxygen and produce CO2. If occurring in high numbers they strip the oxygen from the water completely.. these vast swings between oxygen supersaturation (day) and oxygen depletion (night) are bad news for fish and and other animals that live in the sea.
Many of these algae also produce toxins... and their very presence can be a nuisance, blocking fish gills etc...
Hello Vidya Moksha, there you are again, are you alright?
Thank you for completing the explanation of this process. Is phytoplankton the substance that is eaten by blue whales and is the famous blue algae, the one I know sometimes is present in Dutch lakes,
causing disease when swimming in them, for which warning is given in summer-high temperatures combined with non-flowing water?
Oomph, very long sentence!
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
B.B.Baghor wrote:Hello Vidya Moksha, there you are again, are you alright?
Is phytoplankton the substance that is eaten by blue whales and is the famous blue algae, the one I know sometimes is present in Dutch lakes,
causing disease when swimming in them, for which warning is given in summer-high temperatures combined with non-flowing water?
Oomph, very long sentence!
Hi BBB
you replied at 11.11 :)
whales eat all plankton, animals and plants alike, but its only the plant plankton (phytoplankton) that cause toxic blooms... the species involved are difficult to determine as they are all small and mostly indeterminate (we call them LGRT's, a technical term, ahem, meaning "little green round things" ) ..
although some of the more toxic ones are easy to identify and are remarkable looking wee things :
https://taxonomic.aad.gov.au/?page_id=32
in the freshwater lakes and river, the blue algae , blue-green - are probably not algae at all but cyanobacteria.. though everyone calls them algae..
I'm well thanks, working too hard but making money at least.. plotting my escape from blighty :)
B.B.Baghor- Posts : 1851
Join date : 2014-01-31
Age : 73
Location : Druid county UK
Awesome how intricate form and function are entwined or merged.
In these "wee" creatures, serving their effect on the environment!
Nature's magic of formation laws, always interesting and beautiful,
like in the unfurlment of firn.
I'm glad you're alright, may I ask what's "blighty" Vidya Moksha?
The Australian draught or the one in your wallet?
In these "wee" creatures, serving their effect on the environment!
Nature's magic of formation laws, always interesting and beautiful,
like in the unfurlment of firn.
I'm glad you're alright, may I ask what's "blighty" Vidya Moksha?
The Australian draught or the one in your wallet?
Vidya Moksha- Posts : 1301
Join date : 2010-04-17
Location : on the road again :)
B.B.Baghor wrote:[size=16
I'm glad you're alright, may I ask what's "blighty" Vidya Moksha?
The Australian draught or the one in your wallet? [/size]
Blighty is a British slang word for 'Britain' (sometimes just England)
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