Day 3: Plankton goop is a thing!

26 December 2019

We hear about it; we learn about it in biology lessons, but do we know what plankton does and how it is monitored – not really.

So, to remind us all – plankton are microscopic organisms that live in watery environments, both salty and fresh. They are some of Earth’s most critical organisms and so it is vital to study and understand them. They generate about half the atmosphere’s oxygen, as much per year as all land plants. It is also something that zooplankton feed on, which in turn is eaten by fish… it’s the base of the food chain.

Let’s go get ourselves some! Enter Researcher Elise Tuuri from Flinders University with her plankton goop!

The sample was taken off the coast of Broome using an EZ net.  The samples are collected at varying depths, then the plankton and zooplankton are taken to the lab to be collected into isolated samples for identification.

The samples will be viewed to find any traces of microplastics.  A preserving process is completed so that the samples can be taken back to Flinders University to understand the properties of the microplastics.