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

Endocrine-disrupters: see the Why Files story on this subject

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.