Marine snow

Marine snow is a continuous shower of organic particles that sinks from sunlit upper waters through the ocean to the deep sea, carrying carbon and nutrients.

Sinking of marine particles: The downward movement of suspended particles through water under gravity, shaped by particle size, density, and drag. This movement carries marine snow away from surface waters and sets its delivery speed.
Biological pump: The set of biological processes that transfers carbon from surface waters into the ocean interior and sediments. Marine snow is a major vehicle in this ocean-scale carbon transfer.
Phytoplankton: Microscopic photosynthetic organisms that drift in aquatic environments. Their cells and products supply much of the organic matter that becomes marine snow.
Sediment trap: A device that collects particles settling through a defined area of the water column. Sediment traps directly sample sinking material to estimate marine-snow flux.
Carbon export to the deep ocean: The downward transport of carbon from ocean surface layers into deep waters. Marine-snow flux varies sharply, making deep-ocean carbon export difficult to estimate.
Fecal pellet: A compact waste particle produced by an animal, often containing undigested food and microbes. Zooplankton fecal pellets form dense, fast-sinking components of marine snow.
Carbon sequestration: The capture and storage of carbon in a reservoir, reducing its return to the atmosphere. Carbon in sinking particles can be stored in deep water or sediments for long periods.
Primary production: The formation of organic matter from inorganic carbon using light or chemical energy. Surface primary production provides the carbon that can enter sinking particles.
Particulate organic carbon: Organic carbon contained in suspended or sinking particles in water. Its measured downward flux quantifies a central component of marine snow transport.
Particle fragmentation: The breakup of larger particles into smaller pieces through physical or biological action. Fragmentation can slow sinking and expose more organic matter to decomposition.

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