Subtle and short-lived differences in ocean salinity or temperature function as physical barriers for phytoplankton, and result in a patchy distribution of the oceans' most important food resource.

A tiny single-celled organism that plays a key role in the carbon cycle of cold-water oceans may be a lot smarter than scientists had suspected. In a paper published June 11 in the online version of ...

Different types of phytoplankton will react differently to warming oceans and this can affect which marine species thrive in the region, according to a new study led by researchers in New England.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The warming of the waters off the East Coast has come at an invisible, but very steep cost — the loss of microscopic organisms that make up the base of the ocean’s food chain.

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. As humanity lags far behind where it should be in reducing its greenhouse gas ...

The billions of single-celled marine organisms known as phytoplankton can drift from one region of the world's oceans to almost any other place on the globe in less than a decade, Princeton University ...

Phytoplankton are tiny ocean organisms that naturally sequester carbon, like plants on land. That's made them an intriguing target as a climate solution. Here & Now's Sarah McCammon speaks to Matt ...

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. Some of the littlest organisms in the ocean wield incredible influence, both on their ecosystems and on the ...

The warming of the waters off the East Coast has come at an invisible, but very steep cost — the loss of microscopic organisms that make up the base of the ocean's food chain. The growing warmth and ...

Some of the littlest organisms in the ocean wield incredible influence, both on their ecosystems and on the planet. Like plants do on land, phytoplankton absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide and expel ...

A school of baitfish swims off the coast of Biddeford, Maine, in this Sept. 3, 2018 file photo. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files) PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The warming of the waters off the East Coast ...