Salps are small, barrel-shaped organisms similar to jellyfish that use internal and external filter-like mesh nets to capture particles and microorganisms to feed and propel themselves through ocean waters. Using Bluewater SCUBA, we aim to discover more about how salps and pteropods impact the carbon content in the ocean. Our team is able to test the carbon content and microbial community composition of their fecal pellets without harming these fragile creatures using tools such as underwater incubation devices and underwater imaging.

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Studying the carbon content of these pellets allows us to observe how these organisms help remove carbon from ocean surface waters and move it to the ocean floor. We think this process may allow for more carbon dioxide to enter the ocean from the atmosphere, this is important as a factor in regulating atmospheric carbon concentrations. The outcomes of this project will allow us to understand the mesh net structures of salps and how their waste materials may help remove carbon dioxide from the ocean surface and the earth’s atmosphere.

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Photo Attribution: Researchers Larry Madin and Kelly Rakow Sutherland get up close with a salp in the lab. Photo: Tom Kleindinst, WHOI