Posted Sep 25, 2006 at 04:46AM by Alaric S. Listed in: Animals and Wildlife, Global Warming Tags: Canada
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krillKrill ("young fry of fish" in Norwegian) are shrimp-like animals found in all oceans of the world. Krill is famous as the tiny creatures that keep the biggest marine animals alive: baleen whales, whale sharks and mantas. The Krill's impressive resumes also include providing food for some seals and seabirds. Researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada discovered there's more to Krill than being dinner for blue whales.

There are so many of the tiny swimmers, billions of them, they actually churn the seas as they commute from their deep water habitat to feed near the surface every night. The vertical migration generates biologically generated turbulence or disturbance that transport inorganic nutrients from the ocean bottom to the often nutrient-depleted surface layer.

Their collective swimming also contribute to the mixing of atmospheric gases, including the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and the ocean's water. The researchers think this plays an important role slowing down global warming by trapping the carbon dioxide emitted annually underwater.

Isn't amazing that creatures at the food chain's rock bottom is doing more for the planet than the intelligent beings sitting at the very top? ExxonMobil executives should all be reincarnated as Krill.


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