Marine Phytoplankton Interesting Facts BOTTOMS UP: How Whale poop helps feed the ocean Large areas of the Southern Ocean are known as high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) waters. This is where Marine Phytoplankton abundance is very low despite high concentrations of major nutrients such as nitrate, phosphate and silicate. Marine Phytoplankton is crucial in marine ecosystems as the main food source that supports all marine life. It also plays a key role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Uneaten Phytoplankton eventually die and sink from the euphotic zone – the top 200-300m where light can penetrate – transferring the [...]