They also demonstrate that ecological effects of climate warming are already occurring. This is the second time in 8 months that research from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories has been featured on the cover of Nature , an international journal serving a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Moss Landing Marine Laboratories were completely destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, their scientists scattered about the county in temporary facilities. Still as refugees for the last 7 years, they have been able to perform top-notch research. This program provides information needed to formulate U.S. policy on the conservation and international management of resources living in the oceans surrounding Antarctica.
Plankton are organisms which drift freely in the oceans, carried by ocean currents.
Zooplankton are freely drifting animals such as krill, salps, copepods and some small fish. Phytoplankton are freely drifting plants, the primary producers of the marine food chain. A small shrimp-like animal that lives in the icy waters surrounding the Antarctic continent. It is the major dietary item for a number of whale, seal, fish, penguin, and other sea bird species. Krill feed on phytoplankton and therefore provide a direct link between primary production and higher predators.