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The top 100 meters of the ocean contains phytoplankton Phytoplankton have the ability to take CO2 out of the atmosphere and stores it deep in the ocean Changes in global temperatures, ocean circulation and nutrient availability = what phytoplankton are sensitive to Phytoplankton convert CO2 into an organic matter also known as primary production Phytoplankton absorbs 45 billion to 50 billion metric tons of inorganic carbon into their cells Land plants absorbs about 52 billion metric tons Phytoplankton and land plants take in about the same amount of CO2 Marine plant lives can replace itself every week, while takes an average of twenty years Mircobes consumes fecal from animals and dead phytoplankton cells, and consumed back into inorganic nutrients When CO is below about 200 meters of the ocean = biological pump. CO2 does not move that much in cold water; therefore it does not mix with warmer water Almost all of the nutrients that have been released into the deep sea eventually travel it way back to sunlit surface water, usually it happens within a few hundred years Biological pumps leaks slowly over millions of years One percent of phytoplankton cells and fecal goes into seafloor sediments before it gets recycled Nitrogen : dissolves freely in seawater and most abundant gas in earths atmosphere Fixed nitrogen are used by phytoplankton to produce proteins Vostok ice core (record of the past 420,000 years of earth existence) implied that iron was much higher during the ice age. o The average size of dust particles was much larger during warmer times By increasing iron in water, it also increase phytoplankton photosynthesis Fertilizing a large area result to long term affects that may be an obstacle to fix Methane and nitrous oxide, traps more heat than carbon dioxide

The ocean is filled with phytoplankton, and it is necessary for phytoplankton to live in the ocean because phytoplankton goes through photosynthesis which takes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and convert it into organic matter. Fixed nitrogen is produce from bacteria and cyanobacteria. It is also used in this process by phytoplankton to produce proteins. And by increasing iron in the ocean, it allows phytoplankton to increase their photosynthesis speed. Phytoplankton has the ability to absorb 45 billion to 50 billion metric tons of inorganic carbon into their cells, and land plants absorbed about 52 billion metric tons. This data shows that both phytoplankton and land plants absorbs about the same amount of CO2, which mean that

phytoplankton are important as plants, and if their population is decreasing, it will affect the environment. Phytoplankton is a key stone species and without phytoplankton, many other organisms will have difficulties to survive and have higher risks of becoming extinct. They are sensitive to changes in global temperatures, ocean circulation and nutrient availability; therefore it is important to keep the amount of carbon just right and not too much or too little, otherwise it will cause them to die off. When that does happen, carbon dioxide level will rise because they are one of the primary producers who utilize carbon to produce nutrients. Plants are important, but without phytoplankton, there will a larger amount of carbon in the atmosphere. To solve this problem, humans should reduce the amount of carbon they release into the air and figure new ways to fertilize the ocean for phytoplankton to produce more nutrients and continue to exist.