<iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-PPGH8NG" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe> Donate Sign Up <img width="24" height="24" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/themes/hivelife-wp/img/facebook_icon-01.svg"> <img width="16" height="16" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/themes/hivelife-wp/img/instagram_black-01.svg"> <img width="310" height="310" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/themes/hivelife-wp/img/linkedin-01_black-01.svg"> <img width="310" height="310" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/themes/hivelife-wp/img/x_twitter-01_black-01.svg"> <img width="310" height="310" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/themes/hivelife-wp/img/youtube_black.svg"> Discover Act Climate Change Energy Pollution Policy & Economics Oceans Biodiversity Conservation Solutions ABOUT SUPPORT Earth.Org NewslettersSign up to our weekly and monthly, easy-to-digest recap of climate news from around the world.Subscription Options* ESSENTIAL BRIEFING3 times weekly TOP STORY ROUNDUPOnce a week MONTHLY OVERVIEWOnce a month Enter your email* CommentsThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Earth.Org PAST · PRESENT · FUTURE Environmental News, Data Analysis, Research & Policy Solutions. Read Our Mission Statement About EO About Us Impact & Reach Our Planet’s Trajectory Our Team Meet The Team Our Partners Global Ambassadors Global Photographers NGO Partners Biodiversity Oceans Pollution Saving the Ocean’s Invisible Forests by Istu Septania Global Commons Jun 1st 20214 mins Earth.Org is powered by over 150 contributing writers <img width="1024" height="683" src="https://earth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Earth.Org-Saving-the-Oceans-Invisible-Forests.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="Saving the Ocean’s Invisible Forests" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" srcset="https://earth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Earth.Org-Saving-the-Oceans-Invisible-Forests.jpg 1024w, https://earth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Earth.Org-Saving-the-Oceans-Invisible-Forests-300x200.jpg 300w, https://earth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Earth.Org-Saving-the-Oceans-Invisible-Forests-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> The ocean is at the front line of mitigating the climate crisis. Making up over 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean plays a crucial role in controlling the global climate system through, among other processes, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In the run-up to World Oceans Day on June 8, we’re looking at how as well as polluting the planet and killing animals, plastic waste is also reducing the ability of phytoplankton to absorb atmospheric carbon. — Phytoplankton and Oxygen Such processes are made possible by microscopic single-celled aquatic creatures called phytoplankton. These tiny organisms, dubbed the ‘ocean’s invisible forests’, generate about half of the atmosphere’s oxygen and sequester as much carbon dioxide per year as all land plants. Similar to land plants, phytoplankton soak up sunlight and capture carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, producing oxygen. Just as trees store carbon in their trunks, leaves, stems and roots, phytoplankton store carbon in their bodies. When they die and sink to the seafloor, the trapped carbon in their bodies also sinks deep into the ocean’s waters. You might also like: Microplastics Found in Antarctic Ice for First Time The Importance of Phytoplankton Phytoplankton are at the base of the marine food web, meaning that they provide marine creatures- from the tiny animal-like zooplankton to whales- with food. When phytoplankton and zooplankton are eaten by other larger sea creatures, the carbon in their bodies is transferred to these animals. This carbon will then settle into marine sediments on the ocean floor in fecal pellets and animal carcasses. The process of carbon removal from the atmosphere and its absorption into seafloor sediments is called the biological pump. Through this process, the ocean regulates the Earth’s climate. However, the plastic waste crisis will have a detrimental impact on the climate. Every year, 8 million tons of plastic enter the world’s oceans, which are categorised into micro- and nanoplastics. Scientists continue to examine the effects of plastic debris on the biological pump process. Further, about four-fifths of all trash in the ocean comes from land-based activity, like poor waste management, litter and construction. Microplastics and Phytoplankton A recent study published in the journal, Marine Pollution Bulletin found that plastic pollution in the ocean may negatively affect the ocean’s role in removing atmospheric carbon dioxide, which will eventually disturb the global carbon cycle. Microplastics in the ocean can negatively impact the growth of phytoplankton. Moreover, the abundance of microplastics– like those of the plastic garbage patches comprising thousands of tons of floating microplastics– forms a layer o...