Robotic Ocean Glider Discovers Giant Phytoplankton Chains in Mediterranean Sea, Challenging Previous Understandings
Scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France, have made a significant discovery in the Mediterranean Sea: giant chains of phytoplankton. This finding was made possible by the 'Zooglider,' a torpedo-shaped robot equipped with a high-tech camera ('Zoocam'), a sonar device ('Zonar'), and an underwater microphone. Unlike traditional methods such as nets and water bottles, which often break fragile phytoplankton chains, the Zooglider glides silently, capturing images of marine life in its natural state. The noninvasive camera revealed phytoplankton chains exceeding 10 millimeters in length, a size far greater than anything previously observed through conventional sampling methods. This research, published in Limnology and Oceanography Letters, indicates that traditional tools have historically underestimated the true size of these organisms. 
