The popular aquarium pets sold under the brand name Sea-Monkeys aren't actually monkeys at all, but tiny zooplankton known as brine shrimp. Brine shrimp and other swimming planktons regularly gather in the billions. And though they measure only half an inch in length, new research suggests their collective movement can drive ocean currents.
According to a team of Caltech researchers led by John Dabiri, professor of aeronautics and bioengineering, the tiny swimming motions of a school of zooplankton can generate a swirling flow as influential as wind and tides in influencing the vertical mixing of ocean water.
Dabiri previously showed, in a study published in 2009, that the movement of small creatures like jellyfish could have a significant impact on hydrodynamics.
"Now, these new lab experiments show that similar effects can occur in organisms that are much smaller but also more numerous -- and therefore potentially more impactful in regions of the ocean important for climate," Dabiri said in a press release.
Researchers observed the hydrodynamic influence of swimming brine shrimp by coaxing their movement using lasers. A horizontal green laser enticed them to the surface, while a vertical blue laser encouraged them to focus their path along a central column. A high-speed camera outfitted with an invisible red laser help scientists measure the shrimp's movement and the swirl of the water.
Researchers were then able to scale up their measurements, creating a model to better understand how a school of zooplankton numbering in the billions might influence ocean currents. Their results showed a collective force stronger than if scientists were to just multiply an individual organism's effects on the water immediately surrounding them.