Small 'snowflakes' in the sea play a big role

(Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology) In the deep waters that underlie the productive zones of the ocean, there is a constant rain of organic material called 'marine snow.' Marine snow behaves similarly to real snow: large flakes are rare and fall quickly while abundant smaller flakes take their time. Scientists have now discovered that precisely those features explain why small particles play an important role for the nutrient balance of the oceans. These findings have been published i...