Plankton and climate

Reid, P.C. and Edwards, M.A. (2001) Plankton and climate. In: Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences. Academic Press, Harcourt Science and Technology, London, (UK), pp. 2194-2200. ISBN 0122274342

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DOI: 10.1005/rwos.2001.0267

Official URL: http://www.academicpress.com

Abstract

Plankton has two roles with respect to climate: first as an indicator of climate change in present day populations and in the fossil record and second as a factor contributing to climate change through, for example, its role in the CO sub(2) cycle, in cloud formation via dimethylsulfide (DMS) production, and in altering the reflectivity of sea water as a component of suspended particulate matter. Current research on both the contribution of plankton to climate change and its role as an indicator of change are central to predicting potential scenarios that may occur in the future at a time when global mean temperatures are predicted to rise at an unprecedented rate by 1.5-6 degree C within the next 100 years.

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