Smallest Ocean Organisms Move Massive Amounts of Water

ESA European Space Agency Imagte shows Plankton Populations from Space and Ocean Dynamics

A new study co-authored by John Dabiri of Caltech assures that nano-species and small organisms play a significant role in the overall water dynamics of the ocean, water circulation and water movement. The math behind the study could prove to have provided a basis for the mathematical formulation of how small ocean organisms move around not only massive amounts of water but massive amounts of energy, chemical elements., ocean gases, UV sun energy, and other periodical elements as well as contribute to abiotic cycles.

Caltech reported on September 30^th that Zooplankton May Help Drive Ocean Circulation. Using a combination of theoretical modeling, energy calculations, and field observations, researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have for the first time described a mechanism that explains how some of the ocean's tiniest swimming animals can have a huge impact on large-scale ocean mixing. The investigation and its conclusions has been published in the journal of Nature.

Dabiri told the media that scientists have increasingly been thinking about “how and whether the animals in the ocean might play a role in larger-scale ocean mixing”. Ocean water mixing importance extends to diverse fields and sectors as global waters “distribute heat, nutrients, and gasses throughout the oceans”.

Ocean water mixing is an issue which established science has linked mostly to geographical issues of coast and winds impacting surface. Science books may need to rewrite this chapter.

Recent studies assure that large whales –which populations are recovering are also playing a role in the mixing of ocean. If large whales move around large amounts of water then why would smaller plankton populations not do the same? World plankton biomass –despite being the smallest organism on the oceans account for the top biomasses of the world due to their numbers. Plankton which measures in millimeters when grouped can be seen from outer space –that is how large their populations are. Moist of the species of plankton despite common belief are equipped anatomically with mobility “limbs” or “organs”.

John Dabiri, professor of aeronautics and bioengineering at Caltech analysis working with mechanical engineering graduate student Monica Wilhelmus took a look into diverse organisms like brine shrimp diminutive in size.

Physics Today reported on October 2^nd on what probably was the leading secondary thought of Dabiri after releasing the communication on small organisms. Inspired by the ocean work Dabiri described new designs for inexpensively harvesting wind energy that were inspired by the fluid mechanics of fish schools. Dabiri is going after “synergies in farm-scale aerodynamics”, thinking “wind turbines” and other alike “big word projects” scientists like to use.

But back to ocean dynamics the mathematical models behind the study of Dabiri seems to go further than the simple equation; water volume movement per specie times total population of specie equal total water movement.

In lab the team used a combination of blue and green lasers to induce the shrimp to migrate upward inside a big tank of water.

“Although researchers had proposed the idea that swimming zooplankton can influence ocean circulation, the effect had never been directly observed,” Dabiri reveals.

Dabiri and Katija spoke about the “Darwinian mixing”, a mechanism which has been overlooked. The entire work is based on mathematical simulations. These reveal migration of billions of tiny krill, copepods and other organisms which travel the column of water vertically influenced by the sun as well as horizontal migrations and movements.

Wider vision of the models could include not only movement of water but transfer of energy, stored sun energy, transfer of chemical elements, creation and transfer of biological chains, creation of stratus conditions, alterations of ocean chemical compositions, gas transfer, atmosphere and water gases manipulation by nano-organisms and other several branching out elements key to comprehend the oceans. While at it why not go for the unifying theory of everything in the ocean?

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.