Scientists now think that this may be the reason for the great abundance of life present in the polar and sub polar oceans. New research shows that nano and pico plankton, extremely tiny organisms, are much more abundant than previously estimated. Now, plankton are believed to be 10 to 100 times more abundant in the polar and sub-polar regions than in the temperate and equatorial oceans. Accordingly, most of the world's biomass is living under the polar ozone holes, and is now being exposed to unprecedented levels of UV radiation. This situation may accelerate global warming by affecting the complex oceanic food chain.
Phytoplankton are tiny plants which float in the water column.
Zooplankton are tiny animals which graze on the phytoplankton. These two organisms are critical to the oceanic food supply. In the Antarctic spring, as the ice recedes, tremendous blooms of plankton feed off carbon dioxide absorbed from the air by the oceans. The krill are vulnerable in several ways. The baby krill give rise to big krill, and they are pivotal in the world Antarctic food chain.