Showing posts with label plankton migrate back to North Atlantic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plankton migrate back to North Atlantic. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2011

EnviroFunFact

Photo courtesy: commondreams.org

This is probably not what most people would call a fun fact; but, it is a fact nonetheless.

From the climate files: British researchers have discovered that a species of microscopic plankton is migrating back to the North Atlantic, more than 800,000 years after its extinction in the region.

This is good news, you might be thinking; but, the shift is likely due to warming ocean temperatures and melting polar ice. And though the plankton is a food species, its return is not being welcomed, as it signals changes at the base of the marine food chain that could have harmful consequences for other species.