Abundance:
a large amount
Accumulate:
gather together; increase gradually
Algae:
plants that are usually found living in water
Characteristics:
qualities; properties
Chlorophyll:
green material found in plant cells
Decompose:
decay; rot
Decomposition:
break up into smaller parts; decay; rot
Ecosystem:
a community of organisms and its environment
Environment:
surroundings; physical, chemical, and biological factors that act upon
an organism or an ecological community
Evaporate:
change into vapor
Hypothesis:
a possible explanation to be tested
Krill:
shrimp-like organisms
Nutrients:
food used by plants and animals to help them grow
Organic:
based on carbon, an element in living organisms
Photosynthesis:
the process by which plants use the sun’s energy and their own
chlorophyll to process nutrients
Phytoplankton:
small plants (best seen with a microscope) floating in the upper layer
of the ocean
Persistent:
existing for a long time
Picoplankton:
very small organisms between the sizes of 0.2 micrometers - 2.0 micrometers
Pollutants:
potentially harmful chemicals that are produced or released by human
activity.
Predator:
an animal who gets most of its food by killing and eating other animals
Prey:
an animal taken by another as food
SIMCO:
Sea Ice Microbial Community
Techniques:
methods
Zooplankton:
small animals (best seen with a microscope) floating in the upper layer
of the ocean.
