Salps, natural defence
Monday, May 11th, 2009
@ Larsz
For millions years, these semi transparent organisms stride oceans. Known under the name of Salpidae, they are linked to jellyfishes. They have got the special feature of absorbing carbon dioxide CO2 and of calming down the greenhouse effect caused by Human.
Scientists from the Oceanus magazine concluded that salps, as big as a human inch, can set up huge school of fishes and can absorb 4.000 tones of CO2 per year.
Salps swim, feed and produce wastes continuously. That’s why the only part which is not transparent is its stomach. The Phytoplankton, which uses CO2 to grow up, is its main nutrient. It drains it off almost instantaneously in the ocean.
The most surprising is that in 2004 and 2006, two biologists, Madin y Kremer, have studied the existence of new groups of salps in southern oceans, near the Antarctic. They have appeared there because of the increase in temperature these last years, which is a reaction against the global warming.
Oceanologs offer us already a lot of things to discover. Going diving is the best way to get close to these wonders. So, go and explore seabed! “You will feel like a fish in the water”! And if you come across some salps, don’t be afraid, they are harmless.