A marine species can limit greenhouse gases

The Salpa aspera creature plays an important role in limiting greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. After four expeditions to the North Atlantic since 1975, biologists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the University of Connecticut (USA) discovered that the creature that looks like this jellyfish can carry tons of tons a day. carbon dioxide from the ocean surface reaches the deep sea and prevents this harmful gas from returning to the atmosphere.

Salpa aspera creature (Photo: hawaii.edu)

The oceans of the earth are the places that absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere plus some CO2 emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. The surface of the sea is flooded with sunlight and plankton (a tiny form of plants) using CO2 to grow. Sea creatures then eat plankton and also carbon. But most of the carbon is released back into the ocean when animals are excreted or die. This gas can be reused by bacteria and plants or can return to the atmosphere as CO _{2 to} retain heat when used and respected by animals.

Salpa aspera lives in groups of billions of children on the bottom of the sea with each herd covering an area of ​​about 100,000 square kilometers. Scientists estimate that every day aspera Salpa flock consumes 74% of the marine carbon-containing plankton and their droppings sink into the deep sea carrying 4,000 tons of carbon.

Earlier, Salpa aspera was found every day sinking to a depth of 1,000 / m. When they die, their bodies carry carbon sinks deep down to 475 / m. During the day, they swim long distances and stop at a depth of 600-800m to avoid predators or sunlight that can hurt them, and only emerge to the surface when it is dark for reproduction and development. with food sources - plentiful plankton. Salpa aspera consists of many types and distributed into dense colonies off the coast of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Southeastern America, West Mediterranean, East of the North Atlantic and South Dai Atlantic Ocean.

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