Tiny creatures gorge, get fat, and help fight global warming

The article discusses how tiny creatures, known as zooplankton, play a crucial role in mitigating global warming. These creatures undergo a massive daily migration, moving from the deep ocean to the surface at night and back down during the day. This epic journey allows them to gorge on phytoplankton, which are microscopic plants, and then excrete nutrient-rich fecal pellets that sink to the ocean floor, effectively trapping carbon from the atmosphere. The researchers found that the zooplankton's feeding and defecation activities contribute to the storage of an estimated 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of 300 million cars. This natural process helps regulate the Earth's climate by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the deep ocean. The study highlights the importance of understanding and preserving these tiny, yet crucial, creatures in the fight against global warming.