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The great ocean currents with their immense energy transport have a decisive influence on the atmosphere and thus the climate. But besides this well-known fact life in the seas also plays an important role for climate-related processes. Especially the smallest creatures, tiny planktonic organisms, take up carbon near the surface, process it, build up their bodies with it or excrete it. The carbon incorporated in the excretory products or dead organisms then sinks to the seabed. The constant flow of organic particles towards the deep sea is also called "marine snowfall". [Source: EurekaAlert!]
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