Planktonium; Photo Collection About The Microscopic World Of Plankton
Jan Van Eijken’s Collection Of Photos And Films Deals With The Invisible World Of One Of The Most Important Life Forms On Earth, The Planktons.
“Planktonium” is a photo collection about the microscopic world of plankton. The purpose of Van Eijken’s ” Planktonium ” collection was to take the viewer on a sea voyage, a journey that he describes as a secret world inhabited by aliens.
Plankton is a term used to define microscopic organisms. Planktons in the oceans are one of the whole organisms and a vital food source for many large and small aquatic animals.
So far, scientists have classified about 5,000 known species of marine plankton. Plankton is divided into two main types: phytoplankton and zooplankton.
Egg-carrying sperm
Lauro Mage Phantom
Van Eijken working with Plankton Tour
Gliotrichia – cyanobacteria
diatom
Like plants and trees on the land, phytoplankton (small plant-like cells) are responsible for producing half of the oxygen on Earth through their photosynthesis process. Zooplankton forms the base of the aquatic food chain. Plankton also plays a vital role in the global carbon cycle; Because it is the plankton and not the trees responsible for transferring the most carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
According to NASA, plankton is responsible for yearly transferring ten gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep ocean. Even the slightest change in phytoplankton growth may affect atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, which directly correlates with global temperature.
Like many life forms on Earth, these vitally important plankton are threatened by climate change, global warming, and ocean acidification.
Jellyfish eggs
The planktonic stage of the larval trochophore of a helmintheran
Cosinodiscus diatoms
A colony of diatoms attached to red seaweed
Way echinoderms
Van Eijken says:
These very beautiful, diverse, and populous creatures are unknown to many of us; Because they are not visible to the naked eye. They wander beneath the surface of all the water around us and are essential to all life on Earth.
This collection was taken by photographing the creatures through a microscope and shows the beauty and delicate structure of the tiny creatures in great detail.
Egg-carrying blue flea
Jan van Eijken at work
Van Eijken has filmed, directed, produced, and edited the photos and films made in this field. The film is intentional and without sound and is composed by Jana Windren, a famous Norwegian artist.
The sounds are recorded in the acoustic environments of the deep waters or inside the ice and include a frequency range that is generally not audible to the human ear.
If you liked this article and it piqued your curiosity, you can check out more work on Jan van Eijken’s website.
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