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Overview

Potential Response
Increasing CO2 absorption may interfere with the ability of vital Arctic marine life to remain buoyant.

Researcher
Oliver Wurl

Institute
Institute of Ocean Sciences, British Columbia

Background

Plankton, the marine ‘soup’ fed on by a host of marine creatures, contains tiny animals called zooplankton and microscopic single-celled plants called phytoplankton.

The phytoplankton provides the primary food source for the zooplankton, and together they form the basis of the oceanic food web. Vital bacteria also live alongside these organisms in the plankton.

The health and resistance of phytoplankton is of vital importance; together they convert huge quantities of CO2 into living matter through photosynthesis, in the process releasing a large percentage of the world's oxygen into the atmosphere. This helps to regulate the planet's overall climate and ability to support life.

Uptake of CO2 by phytoplankton increases as ocean acidity increases. This may be causing a complex biochemical reaction that produces sticky TEP particles that increase the tendency of the phytoplankton to ‘clot’ together. As they do so, they may be more liable to sink deeper into the water, taking them further away from the sunlight they require to photosynthesise.

In addition, the sticky TEP particles at the sea surface affect the exchange of CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean.

Both of these effects have the capacity to dramatically alter the natural cycle of the oceans.
Planned Research

This research will examine the biochemical reaction that causes this clotting in Arctic waters. It will investigate:

·  The concentration of the TEP particles responsible for this clotting
·  The presence of the carbohydrate structures that act as a precursor for TEP particles
·  Analyse the abundance of bacteria that are producers and consumers of TEP particles
·  Analyse the abundance of the phytoplankton that produces TEP particles

It will provide valuable, seldom-before-captured Arctic data, as well as complement research already undertaken in other tropical, temperate and subarctic oceanic environments.

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