Is ocean life being wiped out?

Plant plankton, the microscopic vegetation that marine life depends upon, is dying out at an alarming rate. That spells bad news for all life, say scientists, ocean-dwelling or otherwise

Phytoplankton
(Image credit: NOAA/Wikimedia Commons)

They may sit at the bottom of the undersea food chain, but plant plankton, or phytoplankton, perform a vital service to life on Earth. The microscopic algae provide energy for underwater life, absorb carbon dioxide, and produce half the world's oxygen. But they are disappearing from our oceans at an alarming rate. A brief guide to the worrying decline in plant plankton levels:

What exactly are phytoplankton?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up