The Breath-Giving Beauty of Bioluminescence
Abigail McQuatters-Gollop |
TEDxPlymouthCityCouncil
• January 2022
We don't really know why plankton bioluminesce. But if you've ever seen it happen in nature it is something really beautiful and special to experience.
The oceanic microbial world is the foundation on which all other life rests. Plankton
have been sequestering carbon and giving out oxygen for millenia. It is this
accumulation of O2 in the atmosphere that we breathe today.
Plankton continue to play a critical role in our oceans, supplying oxygen for much of the marine life we rely on. It is a great biodiversity indicator of marine ecosystem health.