Plankton drift with the currents and form the base of nearly every ocean food chain.

The longer version

Drifting organisms sit at the bottom of nearly every marine food web because they are the only ones making food rather than consuming it. Currents carry them wherever the water goes, so their distribution follows the moving water rather than any choice of their own.

Seasonal blooms track returning light and mixed nutrients, timing reproduction so larvae hatch into a ready supply. Filter feeders including the largest whales concentrate these tiny particles by straining enormous volumes. Shifts in temperature, mixing and upwelling move blooms around the globe each year, and feeding animals, migrating predators and eggs all follow the same drifting pattern.

Where this entry sits

Oceans and Sea Life looks at the salt water that covers most of the planet, from crashing waves and tides to the darkest deep-sea trenches. Expect notes on coral, fish, whales, sharks, jellyfish, shells, and the strange creatures that live far below the surface. The full list sits on the Oceans and Sea Life page, where every entry is listed in order.