Living Liquid: Celebrating the Power and Beauty of Microscopic Plankton

Join some of the world's leading marine microbial ecologists for fascinating demonstrations and an intriguing discussion about plankton-beautiful, tiny organisms that drift with the currents. Plankton are vital to life on Earth. They come in a stunning variety of shapes and structures; they form the foundation of all oceanic food webs; and they generate about half the oxygen in our atmosphere.

Plankton Science Exhibits and Demonstrations

6:30–7:30 p.m. | East Gallery Plankton Science Exhibits and Demonstrations

Watch plankton-based demonstrations and hear experts discuss our plankton exhibits, including some new works still in development. Collect and identify plankton from the waters beneath Pier 15 with Exploratorium Explainers and scientists from UC Santa Cruz; talk with MIT scientist and Marine Microbiology Initiative (MMI) Investigator Mick Follows about how to model and predict populations of oceanic microbes; see what plankton look like in three dimensions; and create a planktonic artwork using silhouettes of diatoms.

The Role of Plankton in the Bay and Around the Globe

7:30–8:30 p.m. | Fisher Bay Observatory Gallery

Exploratorium staff biologist Jen Frazier will introduce two scientists with complementary perspectives on the role of plankton in Bay and oceanic ecosystems. Jim Cloern from the US Geological Survey will discuss his investigations of plankton in the San Francisco Bay-how they provide food for other Bay organisms, and how they respond to pulses of oceanic and fresh water. From a more global perspective, MMI Investigator David Karl will explain planktonic communities in a great circling gyre in the North Pacific, and their capacity to pump oxygen, carbon, and other elements throughout our oceans and atmosphere.