From creating the atmosphere that led to life on Earth, to providing food for the entire ocean food web, plankton have been pivotal to the world we know today. Indeed, by absorbing vast quantities of carbon dioxide, they have been protecting us from the worst effects of global warming.
But do plankton get the credit they deserve..?

Find out from guests Prof Paul Tett and Dr Callum Whyte why plankton are the planet's hidden heroes and why we don't know enough about them. What is the ocean really like at the microscopic level, how is technology helping us see this in a different way, and what would be the cost (literally) of losing plankton from our seas..?

Find out more about UK research on plankton here: https://planktonandpeople.org/
View The Plankton Manifesto here: https://unglobalcompact.org/library/6242 

The Ocean Explorer podcast is produced by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an ocean research charity and partner of UHI based in Oban.
In each episode, we take a deep dive into marine science topics with SAMS scientists and special guests.
Interested in working or studying with us, or helping with our work? Visit www.sams.ac.uk to find out more.