Facts about Marine Snow

1. 08

   Falling marine snow particles create nutrient-rich microbial communities that respire oxygen so rapidly they generate localized hypoxic zones in the mesopelagic ocean layer between 200 and 1,000 meters depth.

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2. 07

   Each marine snow particle can host up to 1 million bacterial cells, creating localized microbial hotspots that are 100 to 1,000 times more densely populated than surrounding seawater.

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3. 06

   Dissolved organic matter released by marine snow decomposition comprises 20 to 50 percent of the total organic carbon exported from surface oceans to deep water.

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4. 05

   Phytoplankton blooms can produce marine snow aggregates visible from space, with some events off the coast of Iceland creating concentrations exceeding 10 million particles per cubic meter.

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5. 04

   Bacteria colonizing marine snow particles can increase their respiration rates by up to 100 times compared to free-living cells in seawater.

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6. 03

   Transparent gelatinous zooplankton called larvaceans produce house-like structures that trap marine snow particles, creating dense fecal pellets that sink 1,000 meters per day to the ocean floor.

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7. 02

   Copepods and other zooplankton consume roughly 50 percent of marine snow before it reaches the deep ocean floor.

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8. 01

   Sinking aggregates of marine snow transport approximately 5 to 12 gigatons of carbon to ocean depths annually.

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