Predict ocean health, one plankton at a time
Plankton are critically important to our ecosystem, accounting for more than half the primary productivity on earth and nearly half the total carbon fixed in the global carbon cycle. They form the foundation of aquatic food webs including those of large, important fisheries. Loss of plankton populations could result in ecological upheaval as well as negative societal impacts, particularly in indigenous cultures and the developing world. Plankton’s global significance makes their population levels an ideal measure of the health of the world’s oceans and ecosystems.