What is picoplankton?

Picoplankton are tiny little creatures that float around in the ocean, just like you float on a toy boat in a bathtub.

Imagine the ocean is like a giant soup, and picoplankton are like the smallest bits of food floating inside it. They're so small, you could fit millions of them on the head of a pin! Some of them look like tiny green bubbles, others like little yellow specks, but they all help make the ocean alive.

These little creatures are super important because they’re at the bottom of the food chain, kind of like the first step in a big game of "pass the ball." Bigger fish eat them, and then bigger animals eat those fish, all the way up to whales and dolphins. Without picoplankton, the ocean would be a lot less busy, just like how your favorite toy wouldn’t be as fun without all its pieces!