A new study shows that Antarctic krill behave in a way that could accelerate the transport of atmospheric carbon to the deep ocean.
A new study shows that Antarctic krill behave in a way that could accelerate the transport of atmospheric carbon to the deep ocean.
Antarctic krill form some of the highest concentrations of animal biomass in the world’s ocean and are the main food for vast numbers of marine predators like whales, seals and penguins as well as fish. Using advanced acoustic technology to track small scale movements in approximately 2000 krill swarms, the study, which is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B this week (13 December 2017), found that krill continuously move up and down within swarms in a behaviour called satiation sinking.
Continue reading at British Antarctic Survey
Image: Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are the diet of many animals in the Southern Ocean.
CREDIT: Pete Lens / British Antarctic Survey
