phytoplankton

The Arctic has a runaway lead when it comes to global warming. The rapidly thawing region is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the world. And it’s just getting started. A new study says the warming gap could widen substantially—all thanks to microscopic phytoplankton. As sea ice melts and more light penetrates the ocean surface, phytoplankton flourish. As these zillions of photosynthesizing microorganisms live it up, they have a collectively large impact on ecosystems.