Microscopic plankton are among the most important organisms on Earth.
Microscopic plankton are among the most important organisms on Earth. Phytoplankton produce around half of the oxygen we breathe, while plankton as a whole underpin marine food webs, support fisheries, help regulate carbon, and sustain life across the ocean.
However, a new study - led by researchers at the University of Plymouth - has used more than six decades of data to show that plankton abundance is declining across vast swathes of the North East Atlantic – a region covering the Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Norway, and the entirety of the North Sea.
The research used 23 plankton datasets from 13 research institutions, alongside satellite data, to generate the first ever quantitative and integrative assessment of whether the pelagic habitats of western Europe are in Good Environmental Status, as defined by the EU and UK Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Read more at: University of Plymouth
Photo Credit: Kanenori via Pixabay
