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Written by Sam Fountain
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Wednesday, 19 December 2007 |
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Researchers at the University of Essex are at the centre of an investigation into how plankton could help in the fight against global warming by changing the levels of climate-changing DMS gas.
The dimethyl sulphide, or DMS gas, which is produced by plankton in an amazing effort to cool down, has been found to precipitate cloud formation, causing more of the sun’s rays to be reflected away from the earth, which could have a domino effect on global food chains.
“The role of DMS in climate change has been studied for years. Its role in marine ecology was unknown and this is what we are investigating,” said Dr Michael Steinke from the University of Essex.
Steinke’s team have found that the gas, which is responsible for the ‘seaside smell’ so prized by the Victorians, may be used by plankton to find food, in much the same way that bees are attracted to fragrant flowers.
But DMS is also employed by other marine mammals, including seals and birds, in their hunt for food, and changes in levels of the gas could have dramatic implications for food chains on a wide scale.
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