πŸ“– what

What is marine snow?

OceanographyCarbon cycle

Quick Answer

Marine snow is a constant shower of tiny organic particles sinking through the ocean. It helps transport carbon and food from the surface to the deep sea.

The Full Story

Marine snow includes dead plankton, fecal pellets, mucus, and other bits of organic material that clump together and sink. It provides food for deep-sea organisms and plays a major role in the biological carbon pump. As the particles fall, bacteria and small animals consume much of the material, while some of it reaches the seabed and becomes sediment. Marine snow is one of the ocean’s most important and least visible processes.

Key Facts

1.A shower of sinking organic particles
2.Important in the biological carbon pump
3.Feeds deep-sea life

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"The ocean’s invisible snowfall of food and carbon"