Phytoplankton

Of the articles I read, I think that the article titled "Critical Ocean organisms disappearing" provided the most accurate and unbiased story. Throughout the last few decades there has been a substantial decline in the Plankton population. These tiny organisms eat up CO2 and produces about half of the worlds oxygen as well. Since 1950 the population has dropped 40%. In 2013, stories come out about the missing Phytoplankton being found in the southern oceans.  In 2010, the story was out about the rapid decline in Phytoplankton population. Phytoplankton had dropped 40% since 1950. As the ocean waters got warmer, the phytoplankton became more and more scarce. The theory of why the numbers are dropping is because of the warming waters on the surface. Because they are warming, they do not get the nutrients necessary to survive. Although the decline is close to just 1% per year, that means 100% of it will be gone within the next century. The implications of phytoplankton dying out is huge. Since humans are destroying the worlds rainforests, and how we are constantly polluting the earth, without phytoplankton we will not be able to survive. Not only are they huge with the environment, they are the base of the food chain, and many trophic levels will be wiped out if they are gone. It is absolutely necessary that we find out the cause of them dying out, because without them, we will be dead. It's amazing how something so small can have such a big impact on the environment. The concern about phytoplankton populations is present in all articles because it is an important topic and an economical problem to lose an organism at such a rapid rate.