#PhotoOfTheDay: Ailing “#Megaberg” Sparks Surge of Microscopic Life

As #Iceberg A-23A disintegrated, it shed meltwater that helped fuel an extensive #Phytoplankton #Bloom in the South Atlantic Ocean.

science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...

#bigelowlab #science #cytometry #course #education #flowcytometry #cells #ocean #blueplanet #professionaldevelopment #algae #phytoplankton

🔥 Fantatstic work by Antonella Ruggiero and colleagues @embl.org and @szndohrn.bsky.social that opens new doors to understanding the decision-making mechanisms of phytoplankton and the hidden complexity of single-celled life in our oceans #Diatoms #DevelopmentalBiology #SingleCellRNA #Phytoplankton

#DontLookUp

"Da die Erwärmung die Ozeanzirkulation verlangsamt, wird der Zufluss von Nährstoffen aus der Tiefe zurückgehen, und es wird erwartet, dass die #Phytoplankton -Populationen um bis zu 50 % zurückgehen werden" 👇

[6/6] Des observs en Arctique et Antarctique confirment déjà ces tendances. La base énergétique des océans change. Cette transformation modifie la répartition des ressources alimentaires et pourrait reconfigurer les écosystèmes marins à l’échelle mondiale. #geography #phytoplankton #foodweb #climate

Biochemical remodelling of phytoplankton cell composition under climate change - Nature Climate Change The authors simulate phytoplankton macromolecular composition—proteins, carbohydrates and lipids—under present and future scenarios. They show increased protein allocation in subtropical phytoplankton...

[1/6] Des scientifiques du Massachusetts Institute of Technology étudient l’impact du climat sur le #phytoplancton. Ils montrent que le réchauffement modifie la base alimentaire des océans, avec des effets potentiels sur toute la chaîne trophique. #geography #phytoplankton #foodweb #climate

Phytoplankton are the most crucial ocean food source, and they are losing their nutritional value The ocean may look the same on the surface, but a profound change is happening in the water to phytoplankton – tiny organisms that form the base of the ocean’s food chain. Scientists have found that climate change is not only warming the oceans but is also changing the quality and nutritional value of the food that supports marine life. Phytoplankton and the food chain Phytoplankton are tiny, plant-like organisms that float near the ocean surface. Even though they are microscopic, they play a huge role. These organisms produce a large share of the world’s organic matter by converting carbon dioxide into food using sunlight. Small marine animals such as krill and snails eat phytoplankton. Fish eat these animals, and larger predators eat the fish. This chain continues until it reaches humans. Because phytoplankton sit at the base of this system, any change in their quality affects the entire ocean. Scientists already knew that temperature affects how many phytoplankton grow. Now, new research shows that their nutritional makeup is also changing. Ocean nutrition is shifting A study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and partner organizations shows that phytoplankton are changing in response to climate conditions. The research explains...

Phytoplankton are the most crucial ocean food source, and they are losing their nutritional value
->Earth.com | More on "Phytoplankton nutritional decline threatens ocean" at BigEarthData.ai | #Ocean #Phytoplankton #Food

Climate change may produce “fast-food” phytoplankton As sea surface temperatures rise over the next century, phytoplankton in polar regions will adapt to be less rich in proteins, heavier in carbohydrates, and lower in nutrients overall, according to a ...

If you eat seaweed for its dense nutrient content, you will be sad to read this.
#ClimateChange #Seaweed #Phytoplankton
news.mit.edu/2026/climate...

Biochemical remodelling of phytoplankton cell composition under climate change We simulated the macromolecular composition of marine phytoplankton under pre-industrial conditions by initializing the model with observed tracer distributions and equilibrating it under a pre-industrial atmospheric CO2 partial pressure (pCO2) of 278 parts per million by volume (ppmv) (Methods). This simulation suggests that the average phytoplankton cell is predominantly composed of proteins (48.1%) and carbohydrates plus lipids (45%) on a molar carbon basis (mol C (mol C)−1). Smaller contributions come from RNA, DNA, chlorophyll a and nitrogen storage (Extended Data Table 1). Cellular allocation exhibits global variation: allocation to proteins ranges from 32% to 78%, while carbohydrates plus lipids range from 32% to 68% of cellular carbon (Fig. 1a,b). These variations are driven by environmental conditions: in high-latitude, nutrient-sufficient, low-light environments, phytoplankton allocate more to protein, particularly those related to light harvesting (Fig. 1a). Conversely, in the mid-latitude, oligotrophic regions where nutrient concentrations are low and light is saturated, the relative growth rate of phytoplankton is low, and phytoplankton store the excess of light energy into carbon-rich storage macromolecules (Fig. 1b). Based on the global average macromolecular composition, the average caloric content of these macromolecules26, and assuming that carbon storage is equally divided between carbohydrates and lipids27, we estimate a...

Biochemical remodelling of phytoplankton cell composition under climate change
->Nature | More on "Phytoplankton composition under climate change" at BigEarthData.ai | #ClimateChange #Phytoplankton

Climate change may produce "fast-food" phytoplankton We are what we eat. And in the ocean, most life-forms source their food from phytoplankton. These microscopic, plant-like algae are the primary food source for krill, sea snails, some small fish, and jellyfish, which in turn feed larger marine animals that are prey for the ocean’s top predators, including humans. Now MIT scientists are finding that phytoplankton's composition, and the basic diet of the ocean, will shift significantly with climate change. In an open-access study appearing today in the journal Nature Climate Change, the team reports that as sea surface temperatures rise over the next century, phytoplankton in polar regions will adapt to be less rich in proteins, heavier in carbohydrates, and lower in nutrients overall. The conclusions are based on results from the team’s new model, which simulates the composition of phytoplankton in response to changes in ocean temperature, circulation, and sea ice coverage. In a scenario in which humans continue to emit greenhouse gases through the year 2100, the team found that changing ocean conditions, particularly in the polar regions, will shift phytoplankton’s balance of proteins to carbohydrates and lipids by approximately 20 percent. The researchers analyzed observations from the past several decades, and already have found...

Climate change may produce "fast-food" phytoplankton
->MIT News | More on "Phytoplankton nutrition shifts climate change" at BigEarthData.ai | #ClimateChange #Phytoplankton

Watson explains that industrial factory trawlers are currently stripping the Southern Ocean of #krill (the foundational food source for #whales, #penguins, and the #phytoplankton responsible for most of the planet’s oxygen) to produce fish meal and supplements.

Schéma des étapes de préparation et d’analyse des échantillons de phytoplancton par métabarcoding ADNe pour utilisation en bioindication.

Notre nouvel article

Analyse du phytoplancton par l’ADN environnemental : nouveaux outils pour évaluer la qualité écologique des plans d’eau

#phytoplankton #edna #metabarcoding #lake

Bravo @ clelia DURAN https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0450-3842

https://revue-set.fr/article/view/9926

🛰️🌊🧊
Three days in a row of continuous #highlatitudedust emission from Central Patagonia into the SW Atlantic

#biogeochemistry #phytoplankton #paleoclimate #cryo

Taxonomic composition and ecophysiology of resident bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton Falkowski, P. G. The role of phytoplankton photosynthesis in global biogeochemical cycles. Photosynth. Res. 39, 235–258 (1994). Falkowski, P. G. et al. The evolution of modern eukaryotic phytoplankton. Science 305, 354–360 (2004). Field, C. B., Behrenfeld, M. J., Randerson, J. T. & Falkowski, P. Primary production of the biosphere: integrating terrestrial and oceanic components. Science 281, 237–240 (1998). Winder, M. & Sommer, U. Phytoplankton response to a changing climate. Hydrobiologia 698, 5–16 (2012). Bell, W. & Mitchell, R. Chemotactic and growth responses of marine bacteria to algal extracellular products. Biol. Bull. 143, 265–277 (1972). Amin, S. A. et al. Interaction and signalling between a cosmopolitan phytoplankton and associated bacteria. Nature 522, 98–101 (2015). Seymour, J. R., Amin, S. A., Raina, J.-B. & Stocker, R. Zooming in on the phycosphere: the ecological interface for phytoplankton-bacteria relationships. Nat. Microbiol. 2, 17065 (2017). Focardi, A. et al. Defining the ecological strategies of phytoplankton associated bacteria. Nat. Commun. 16, 6363 (2025). Yawata, Y., Carrara, F., Menolascina, F. & Stocker, R. Constrained optimal foraging by marine bacterioplankton on particulate organic matter. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 117, 25571–25579 (2020). Kodama, M., Doucette, G. J. & Green, D. in Ecology of Harmful Algae (eds Graneli, E...

Taxonomic composition and ecophysiology of resident bacteria associated with marine phytoplankton
->Nature | More on "Marine bacteria phytoplankton ecological interactions" at BigEarthData.ai | #Phytoplankton

Nutrient storage links past thermal exposure to current performance in phytoplankton | PNAS The growth of populations and organisms often depends on their previous history of environmental exposure: a phenomenon referred to as “phenotypic ...

Hannah S. Meier, PhD student @Utah.edu, recently contributed to a @pnas.org paper developing a mechanistic model to understand phenotypic memory in #phytoplankton! 🌊🧪🧬
#PhenotypicPlasticity

Drought preceding rain events drives shifts in phytoplankton composition and metabolome in Lake Aydat (France) revealing molecular strategies Drought and rainfall induce spatial shifts in phytoplankton metabolism, with site-specific cyanopeptide production reflecting adaptive microbial responses

#OurNewPaper #FEMSMicrobiologyEcology Drought preceding rain events drives shifts in #phytoplankton composition and metabolome in Lake Aydat (France) revealing molecular strategies.
#cyanobacteria #SecondaryMetabolites #cyanopeptides #MeteorologicalEvents
🔗https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiag015

White icebergs and green sea ice float beneath the cloud cover at the northern edge of the Ross Sea. This Landsat 9 / OLI-2 image was collected on March 9, 2026 at 19:29 UTC.

#Phytoplankton in the northern #RossSea color the sea ice green in early March, 2026.

Full-sized #Landsat9 scene available here:
photos.app.goo.gl/xQBshRUmkiBj...

How to spot corporate greenwashing Forget the MacBook Neo...

Forget the #MacBook #Neo — can Tim Cook's environmental report survive a fact check?

#ClimateChange #Greenwashing #Apple #Sustainability #CorporateAccountability #FossilFuels #ClimateCrisis #TimCook #OceanHealth #Phytoplankton #ClimateJustice #GreenTech #EcoFraud #CarbonEmissions #ClimateAction

#MicroMonday: Corethron is a type of diatom found in abundance in Antarctic waters. In addition to silica shells, Corethron also has some gnarly built-in defenses: long spines, which make them hard for grazers to eat. 📸: Ben Twining, Chandni Bhickta. #phytoplankton #science #micrographs #bigelowlab

Satellite images show how Antarctica’s vanishing sea ice is changing the food chain With the loss of sea ice, tiny filter feeders known as ‘salps’ can thrive, while shrimp-like krill lose out.

“Around ten years ago, everything changed.”

New satellite analysis shows Antarctic sea-ice loss has increased #phytoplankton across 70% of the #SouthernOcean. Good news? Not quite.

Discover the 'winners' and 'losers':
theconversation.com/satellite-im...

Session 2.5 Phytoplankton: Drifting through the oceans in a context of climate change hosted by Elisabeth Roselli
#ICYMARE2026Bremen #phytoplankton #plankton #climatechange #changingocean #earlycareerconference #oceandecade

A record-breaking #phytoplankton bloom formed an elliptical ring around Chatham Island in Jan 2026. Sentinel-3 captured the structure 90 minutes before the widely shared NASA/VIIRS image. The bloom reached its peak in at least a decade. Check out our new #BCEarthGallery blog post:
👉 bit.ly/40zm9tI

Huge congratulations to Maud Siebers, who has successfully defended her #thesis on 'Improving forecasts of #phytoplankton blooms using high-frequency #satellite observations' 🎉🎉🎉

Vacancy for a Research Scientist on Plankton Biodiversity at the National Oceanography Centre, based in Southampton, UK. The deadline is 24 March 2026.

📢 #VacancyAlert | @noc.ac.uk is #Hiring!
Join the #Marine #Biogeochemistry research team, investigating #phytoplankton #biodiversity and ecological dynamics.

🔗More info & how to apply: careers.noc.ac.uk/vacancy/rese...

@horizoneu.bsky.social #REA
@sophieclayton.bsky.social

Beautiful Halosphaera - an alga found in yesterday’s plankton sample. These are huge and green, so they’re easy to spot.

#marinebiology #microscopy #phytoplankton #plankton #algae

Questions d'environnement - Pourquoi les baleines sont-elles des alliées du climat? Les grands cétacés produisent des déjections qui favorisent le phytoplancton, les microalgues au rôle majeur dans la séquestration du CO2.

[ACTU] Pourquoi les baleines sont-elles des alliées du climat ? 🐋🌍
www.rfi.fr/fr/podcasts/...
#baleine #climat #CO2 #phytoplankton #environnement

An international team of scientists, including SRS Ben Twining, is calling for a new generation of carefully designed ocean iron fertilization field trials. Read more: https://www.bigelow.org/news/articles/2026-02-05.html 📸: Rachel Mann, WHOI. #ocean #blueplanet #phytoplankton

We’re at #NAB2026 this week! Looking forward to great conversations & innovative research updates. Stop by to explore our solutions for faster #HAB, #phytoplankton & benthic algae insights! ppsystems.com/water-quality/

#waterquality #climatescience #aquaticbiology #watermonitoring @neiwpcc.org

Extreme temperature events reshuffle the ecological landscape of the Southern Ocean - Nature Communications Satellite records reveal that Southern Ocean phytoplankton responds in contrasting ways to marine heatwaves and cold spells. These opposing impacts vary sharply by region, exposing distinct ecological...

New study uses #satellite records and shows that #SouthernOcean #phytoplankton responds in contrasting ways to marine #heatwaves and #cold spells. The impacts vary sharply by region, exposing distinct #ecological sensitivity to #climate -driven extremes. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

graphic describing the recovery of different ecosystem components, by Elliott, M., Á. Borja, R. Cormier, 2025. Managing marine resources sustainably – But how do we know when marine management has been successful? Ocean & Coastal Management, 265: 107623.

Now, it has achieved a good ecological status, sensu #WFD, for most of the ecosystem components, such as #phytoplankton, #benthos or #fish….
This has happened in many other European countries, thanks to the #WFD
#GES4SEAS #MOOC #oceanoptimism