We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Sweating the Small Stuff: Linking Plankton to Climate Change, Brian Kim '18 Makes Conncetions
AI summary Read the abstract
A student researcher investigated whether marine copepods (plankton) inadvertently consume microplastics, exploring the implications for the ocean carbon pump — since copepod fecal pellets are a key mechanism for transporting carbon to the deep sea, microplastic ingestion could disrupt this climate-regulating process.
It takes an expansive mind to connect microscopic marine copepods (certain crustacean plankton) unwittingly chomping on floating microplastics with a bigger picture: the planet’s carbon pump and global climate change. But that’s what Brian Kim ’18 decided to investigate during Jan Plan, working with Bigelow Lab Senior Research Scientist David Fields.
More Papers Like This
Microplastics Alter the Properties and Sinking Rates of Zooplankton Faecal Pellets
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers found that when zooplankton ingest microplastics, the plastic particles become embedded in their fecal pellets, making those pellets smaller, less dense, and slower to sink. Since these pellets normally help transport carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea as part of the biological pump, altered sinking rates could disrupt this important carbon cycle process. The study reveals a previously unrecognized way that microplastic pollution could affect ocean chemistry and climate regulation.
Modeling the Vertical Transport of Copepod Fecal Particles under Nano/Microplastic Exposure
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers studied how nano- and microplastics affect the fecal pellets produced by tiny marine copepods, which play a crucial role in transporting carbon from the ocean surface to deeper waters. They found that plastic particles reduced both the size and production rate of fecal pellets, and a fluid dynamics model showed this would slow their sinking speed and reduce vertical carbon transport. The study suggests that widespread microplastic pollution could interfere with the ocean's ability to sequester carbon.
Consumption Of Microplastics Impacts The Growth And Fecal Properties Of The Marine Copepod, Acartia Tonsa
AI summary Read the abstract
Lab experiments found that marine copepods (Acartia tonsa) fed polystyrene microplastic beads showed reduced growth and produced smaller, less carbon-rich fecal pellets compared to controls. This is significant because copepod fecal pellets are an important mechanism for transporting carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea, suggesting microplastics could disrupt marine carbon cycling.
Microplastics alter feeding selectivity and faecal density in the copepod, Calanus helgolandicus
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers investigated how microplastic ingestion affects feeding selectivity and fecal pellet density in the copepod Calanus helgolandicus. They found that exposure to microplastics altered the copepod's prey selection depending on particle size and shape, and also reduced the density of their fecal pellets. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could disrupt both the feeding behavior of key zooplankton species and the ocean's biological carbon pump by changing how fecal matter sinks.
Can microplastics pose a threat to ocean carbon sequestration?
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper explores whether microplastic pollution in the ocean could interfere with carbon sequestration processes, including the biological carbon pump that moves carbon to the deep sea through sinking organic matter. If microplastics disrupt phytoplankton, zooplankton, or marine snow formation, they could undermine one of the ocean's key roles in regulating global climate.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.