How to Use phytoplankton in a Sentence

phytoplankton

noun
Definition of phytoplanktonnext
  • In the spring, as the ice melts and sunlight hits the water, the sea blooms with phytoplankton, the anchor of marine life and the base of the ocean’s food web.
    — Author: Simon Denyer, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Feb. 2020
  • Yet the clouds of phytoplankton that fill the oceans are the major drivers of that process in nature.
    — Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 6 July 2023
  • Half of the oxygen we as humans breathe comes from the phytoplankton that lives in our oceans.
    — Stefanie Blendis, CNN, 28 Mar. 2022
  • The turquoise is thought to be due to an explosive growth in phytoplankton known as a bloom.
    — Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian, 16 June 2017
  • Iron dust in the oceans could feed phytoplankton that would then pull carbon dioxide out of the air.
    — Michael Birnbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
  • The phytoplankton could also wreak havoc on the rest of the ecosystem.
    — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 10 Apr. 2018
  • The defecated iron then stimulates the growth of tiny phytoplankton, which in turn feed the krill, which in turn feed the whales, and so on.
    — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2021
  • Bacteria thrived on the dead phytoplankton, adding to the mat’s mass.
    — Jenna Scatena, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2021
  • This type of phytoplankton can bloom fast when there are changes to the amount of light and nutrients available.
    — Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 22 June 2023
  • Krill eat the phytoplankton, and animals like seals, fish, and penguins eat the krill.
    — Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
  • The algae bloom is filled with glowing phytoplankton that lights up when the microorganisms tumble down the face of waves at and near the shore.
    — Gary Robbins, latimes.com, 9 May 2018
  • Iron is one of the key nutrients that tiny phytoplankton organisms in the ocean need to thrive.
    — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 15 July 2019
  • As the sea ice melts, ice algae and phytoplankton are released into the sea.
    — Arwa Damon, CNN, 8 June 2019
  • When there’s no ice, there are still later blooms of phytoplankton.
    — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, 15 Sep. 2019
  • In roughly a third of the ocean, iron is so rare that its absence can hinder the growth of diatoms and other phytoplankton.
    — Emily Underwood, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Jan. 2020
  • Ocean ecosystems are finely balanced and any change in the phytoplankton will send ripples across the food chain.
    — Jack Guy, CNN, 12 July 2023
  • The study on marine phytoplankton is the first to look at changes over the last century at a global scale with data from as far back as 1899.
    — Jess McNally, WIRED, 28 July 2010
  • Allen’s grandson, Henry Allen Brubaker, 86, hand-cranked a bucket down through a cutout in the pier to scoop up some phytoplankton.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Dec. 2022
  • And scientists have found that whale poop is a feast for phytoplankton near the ocean surface, which suck multiple forests’-worth of CO2 from the air and sequester it in the deep.
    — Tim McDonnell, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2020
  • Chami found out that whales may be able to store nine tons of carbon in their body by eating phytoplankton, their main food source.
    — Jason Nark, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2019
  • So adding more iron to the oceans, the theory goes, would lead to more phytoplankton and more carbon being pulled from the atmosphere.
    — New York Times, 6 Mar. 2020
  • Expedition guides then link that awe back to the food web, and the audience realizes the scale of all the phytoplankton.
    — Citizen Science Salon, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2019
  • Tiny phytoplankton in the ocean generate half of the oxygen produced on Earth.
    — Scott Denning, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2019
  • Officials believe the June 2 sewage spill might have contributed to a phytoplankton bloom in the creek.
    — Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2022
  • The high seas are home to a wealth of biodiversity, from tiny phytoplankton up to massive blue whales.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Blooms of the ice algae — known as phytoplankton — spread through a less-salty band of water close to the surface, which also was rich in other forms of algae.
    — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, 15 Sep. 2019
  • Remove the water from the stove and add ⅛ teaspoon dill oil (about 16 drops from dropper) and ¼ teaspoon phytoplankton.
    — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, 21 Apr. 2017
  • The star is a marine algae called phytoplankton that emits flashes of blue light when disturbed.
    — Carter Evans, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2023
  • Warmer water helps phytoplankton, microscopic plant-like organisms that form the base of the food web, bloom.
    — Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2024
  • To remediate the issue, ecologists have to reduce the nutrients available to the algae and phytoplankton in order to curb their growth and allow fish to breathe easier.
    — Kyle Martin, The Mercury News, 5 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phytoplankton.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: