About Phytoplankton Bloom:
- Phytoplanktons are microscopic plants, but they play a huge role in the marine food web.
- Like plants on land, phytoplankton perform photosynthesis to convert the sun’s rays into energy to support them.
- Phytoplankton population explosion-blooms occur when sunlight and nutrients are abundantly available to the plants.
- When light, nutrients and other conditions, such as temperature, are at the best level for phytoplankton, they can rapidly multiply and flourish. This leads to the development of phytoplankton bloom.
- They grow and reproduce to a point where they are so dense that their presence changes the color of the water in which they live.
- Blooms can be quick events that begin and end within a few days or they may last several weeks.
- Phytoplankton is estimated to produce about 50 percent of Earth’s oxygen.
- They have a crucial role in the global carbon cycle.
- They provide an essential food source for organisms like zooplanktons.
- Just like terrestrial plants, they grow more in certain seasons.
