Most of the Earth is covered by oceans, and most of the life in the ocean is small and under-studied.
Phytoplankton, krill, and other (often cryptic) small species are key drivers of global biogeochemical cycles, but there is an enormous gap in our understanding of the ecology and dynamics of these creatures. Silwood researchers are investigating how flows of nutrients and energy are changing in the open ocean and on coral reefs. The rate at which krill faeces sink and nano-meter alterations to the pH surrounding a phytoplankton cell may have dramatic impacts on the cycling of key elements in the ocean, for global climate models, and for the exploitation of marine resources.