Everyone might have seen snow falling in mountainous regions, but have you ever experienced the same phenomenon in the deep ocean? Summer, winter, autumn, and spring, regardless of the season, there always snows in the ocean, which is a sight to behold. If you ever travel to the deep ocean you should expect it to be cold and dark, with a high chance of snow. But not snow as in "ice crystals" form, such as those on Earth's surface. Because here we are talking about underwater snow in the form of white flakes. Although, these flakes are not actually snow, in essence, these millimeter-sized flakes consist of dead creatures and poop, referred to as Marine Snow, also known as Ocean Dandruff.
It sounds quite weird, doesn't it? But creatures in the deep ocean would most likely disagree with this. Because they consume underwater snow as the only source of nutrition in the dark inaccessible depths of the ocean. Ocean Dandruff or Marine Snow is a kind of snow that no one would ever want to catch with the tongue. As said earlier marine snow is actually not real snow but is made up of mostly organic matter, including dead animals or plants, poop from animals, decaying animals, and the remains of plankton falling from the upper waters to the deep ocean and this phenomenon lasts throughout the year. You may be disgusted by it, but it is a very delicious food source for the small creatures living in the seabed.
When the animals and plants present near the surface of the ocean die and decompose, they start falling toward the ocean floor. It's an incredible way of nature to transport food to the part of the ocean where sunlight doesn't reach. The deep ocean floor is always covered with the remains of tiny sea creatures and because of this, life continues even in the deep ocean. These flakes grow as they fall, and some reach several centimeters in diameter before reaching the ocean floor. Sometimes it even takes weeks and months for some snowflakes to reach the bottom. Underwater snow however is more than just food as these white flakes have some role to play in keeping the earth cool.
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