Warming Oceans Lead to Zooplankton Decline

http://www.ryot.org/warming-oceans-lead-zooplankton-decline/474849

By DAVID SHARP, Associated Press

• Springtime plankton blooms off the coast of northern New England were well below average this year, leading to the lowest levels ever seen for the tiny organisms.

• The absence of the normal surge of plankton in the spring is a concern because that's when cod and haddock and many other species produce offspring.

• The spring surge also provides the foundation for normally abundant zooplankton levels that have made waters from the Middle Atlantic to New England productive for centuries.

• The findings come after temperatures off the Northeast U.S. hit an all-time high in 2012.

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