Word: phytoplankton
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Studies headed by the Australian National University show that reefs may be vulnerable to another environmental insult: wildfires. A new report suggests that smoke from 1997 Indonesian fires deposited iron on the surface of the water, leading to the growth of phytoplankton. This caused a so-called red tide that suffocated the coral. The only good reef news comes from a new four-nation study suggesting that while climate change certainly isn't good for coral, the tiny organisms may do better than we think at adapting to new conditions. Species with a tolerance for warmer waters may already...
...fertilizer for the fields, and crabs are grown to eat pests. Some of those techniques are being adapted in Western fish farms. In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Dan Butterfield, 59, raises bass, carp, catfish and other species in the same pond; the sun and the catfish feces stimulate the growth of phytoplankton, which feeds the other species. His water stays relatively clean, with no need to discharge wastes. "I am probably the most environment-friendly fish farmer in the country," claims Butterfield, who figures he nets about $1,000 an acre each year on his 150 acres of ponds...
SeaStar's job is simple: it is designed to track phytoplankton, tiny ocean- dwelling plants that serve as the basis for the entire marine food chain. Scientists theorize that the phytoplankton population is governed by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The gas is also the most important cause of the global warming that many atmospheric scientists think will trigger major climate changes in the coming century. So a careful scrutiny of phytoplankton numbers may provide a sort of early-warning system that can alert the world to a potential catastrophe...
SeaStar won't be merely a scientific toy. Because fish love to feast on phytoplankton, the satellite will be pinpointing places where fishing boats might come away with a big haul. Fishermen will be able to get the tips through direct radio links to SeaStar...
...worrisome is the threat to the world's food supply. High doses of UV radiation can reduce the yield of basic crops such as soybeans. UV-B, the most dangerous variety of ultraviolet, penetrates scores of meters below the surface of the oceans. There the radiation can kill phytoplankton (one-celled plants) and krill (tiny shrimplike animals), which are at the very bottom of the ocean food chain. Since these organisms, found in greatest concentrations in Antarctic waters, nourish larger fish, the ultimate consumers -- humans -- may face a maritime food shortage. Scientists believe the lower plants and animals can adapt...