It’s a well-known fact that phytoplankton play a huge role in managing Earth’s climate by drawing down CO2 for photosynthesis every year. The new study suggests another fascinating way that these little critters are shaping our planet - by making it a tad brighter. Averaged over the year, the researchers find that phytoplankton reflect an extra 4 watts of incoming solar radiation per square meter in the Southern Ocean skies.
You can read the rest @
http://gizmodo.com/tiny-ocean-microbes-are-making-the-sky-brighter-1718634310
There has to be a feedback mechanism which keeps the biosphere stable. Perhaps this is a part of it. Let's pray that our pollution of the oceans with oil and plastic does not get in its way.
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