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Summer Blooms

Salpa aspera, a jelly-like species of animal found in the Atlantic Ocean, can link into chains several meters long and are comprised of as many as 80 individuals. These “salps” form massive blooms in the summer, covering as much as 100,000 square kilometers. They spend their days submerged at 600 meters depth and their nights migrating to the sea surface before diving again. WHOI scientists found that they also play a critical role in determining the fate of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the ocean. Swarming by the billions in salp “hot spots,” they transport tons of carbon per day from the ocean surface to the deep sea and keep it from re-entering the atmosphere. (Photo by Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)