“The nutrient increase since eight million years ago was likely caused by increased weathering and erosion on land which would increase the delivery of phosphorus ... into the ocean from human ...

Productivity fuels life in the ocean, drives its chemical cycles, and lowers atmospheric carbon dioxide. Nutrient uptake and export interact with circulation to yield distinct ocean regimes.

Learning how plankton consume phosphorus also helps predict how ocean life will respond to prolonged fertilizer use, increased shipping, and climate change. "As the climate continues changing from ...