How to Use phytoplankton in a Sentence

phytoplankton

noun
  • When there’s no ice, there are still later blooms of phytoplankton.
    — Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times, 15 Sep. 2019
  • 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
  • Bacteria thrived on the dead phytoplankton, adding to the mat’s mass.
    — Jenna Scatena, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2021
  • 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
  • As the sea ice melts, ice algae and phytoplankton are released into the sea.
    — Arwa Damon, CNN, 8 June 2019
  • 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
  • The phytoplankton could also wreak havoc on the rest of the ecosystem.
    — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, 10 Apr. 2018
  • Krill eat the phytoplankton, and animals like seals, fish, and penguins eat the krill.
    — Allison Chinchar, CNN, 7 May 2022
  • Iron is one of the key nutrients that tiny phytoplankton organisms in the ocean need to thrive.
    — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 15 July 2019
  • 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
  • On bright sunny days, schools of baitfish will move to the top of the water column to feed on phytoplankton.
    — Kubie Brown, Outdoor Life, 3 Oct. 2024
  • The star is a marine algae called phytoplankton that emits flashes of blue light when disturbed.
    — Carter Evans, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2023
  • Ocean ecosystems are finely balanced and any change in the phytoplankton will send ripples across the food chain.
    — Jack Guy, CNN, 12 July 2023
  • But phytoplankton can’t live on carbon dioxide alone.
    — Katherine Bourzac, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • 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
  • 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, 3 Jan. 2020
  • Their waste, packed with nutrients, feeds the phytoplankton, the foundation of the ocean’s food chain.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024
  • 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
  • When phytoplankton die, their remains sink to the twilight zone, carrying some of their carbon with them.
    — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 19 June 2018
  • 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
  • It is emitted by phytoplankton in the Earth's oceans as part of their metabolism process.
    — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2024
  • Since phytoplankton are at the base of the food chain, it can be used to determine the presence of fish, too, Lozier said.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 19 June 2025
  • Tiny phytoplankton in the ocean generate half of the oxygen produced on Earth.
    — Scott Denning, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2019
  • 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
  • Instead, larvae stick to the sea ice, feeding on ice algae until the sun—and the phytoplankton—returns in spring.
    — Gabe Castro-Root, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2025
  • 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
  • The omnivorous crustaceans graze on phytoplankton in open water, and some larger adults crawl along the sea floor.
    — Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, 12 June 2018
  • Fahrenheit above the long-term average—have meant there have been less phytoplankton and fewer small fish, which serve as prey for larger fish and seabirds.
    — Miranda Weiss, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2021
  • The mission will shed light on how aerosols and clouds as well as phytoplankton in the ocean serve as indicators for ocean health and global warming.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 Feb. 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.

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