Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
With the safe return of NASA's Artemis II, it is time to talk about plankton space #science 🛰. PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) is the latest advanced observing satellite launched Feb 2024 which carries the OCI Ocean Colour Instrument measuring hyperspectral (ultraviolet to infrared) data on algal pigments to distinguish between phytoplankton groups. It images the earth's surface every 2 days at 1 km resolution.
https://pace.oceansciences.org/about.htm

Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
#ClimateChange is expected to modify food-webs in the oceans, including in nutrition. In an MIT modeling study scientists found that under heating scenarios, phytoplankon can shift from protein to carbohydrate and lipid dominated cell composition, which they have termed "fast-food ocean". This would happen partly due to sea-ice loss and light change, potentially leading to an elemental composition mismatch with zooplankton grazers.
https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/fast-food-ocean-climate-change-is-draining-seas-nutrition/
#science

Weekend #Plankton Factoid 🦠🦐
Antarctic and North Pacific krill (Euphausia superba and pacifica) are a vital component of high latitude ecosystems as food for many species including whales. It is also a valued commercial fishery since they are 40% protein and 20% lipid. The quota of 620,000 tonnes was rapidly reached this past year for use as omega-3 oil, bait and animal feed. For perspective, this is ~15% of tuna, 25% of Atlantic herring or 50% of cod by weight.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/24/krill-foundation-food-antarctic-ecosystem-survive-factory-fishing
#science

Plankton, night dive
#gili #giliislands #lombok #diving #scuba #trawangan #diveandstay #giliair #plankton #ocean #sealife #marinelife #nightdive