It’s snowing underwater? How in the great depths of the ocean there's a constant blizzard of snow

It’s snowing underwater? How in the great depths of the ocean there's a constant blizzard of snow

Did you know it never stops 'snowing' in the ocean?

Published: May 2, 2025 at 9:51 am

In the ocean, it never stops snowing. The ‘snow’ is a shower of dead microscopic organisms, faeces, mucous, fish scales and other organic detritus, falling constantly to the inky depths.

On the way down, much is captured by filter-feeding animals, with the rest settling on the ocean floor as a thick, oozy layer of silt. It is ‘manna from heaven’ for deep-sea urchins, worms and other creatures. Marine snow, by cycling carbon through different layers of the ocean, is what enables most deep-sea communities to exist.

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