Humans are currently residing in a world dominated by plankton. These minute organisms can be found scattered across the oceans, covering almost three-quarters of the planet. They are among the most plentiful forms of life on Earth.

However, as the world continues to warm, plankton are facing disarray and this poses a threat to the entire marine food chain that relies on them.

Last year, NASA launched a satellite that captured the most detailed view so far of phytoplankton diversity and distribution. This has provided scientists with valuable insights into the changing dynamics of ocean life.

“Is breathing important to you? How about eating? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you should be concerned about phytoplankton,” stated Jeremy Werdell, the lead scientist of the satellite program called PACE, which stands for “Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem.”

Historically, research conducted from ships had only captured limited snapshots of the dynamic oceans. The introduction of satellites offered a more comprehensive view, but it was still limited, like looking through glasses with a green filter.

“While we can identify it as a garden and recognize its beauty and the presence of plants, we do not know which specific plants are present,” explained Ivona Cetinic, a NASA oceanographer. The PACE satellite effectively removes the filter and reveals all the colors of the garden, allowing us to see all the vibrant flowers of the ocean,” she added.

These flowers refer to phytoplankton, which are tiny aquatic algae and bacteria that engage in photosynthesis to live directly off the energy from the sun. They serve as food for zooplankton, the smallest animals in the ocean, who in turn feed fish and larger creatures.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/climate/plankton-ocean-warming.html