marine snow

British  

noun

1. small particles of organic biogenic marine sediment, including the remains of organisms, faecal matter, and the shells of planktonic oganisms, that slowly drift down to the sea floor

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Example Sentences

We hear about snails that surf their own mucus for forward propulsion, digestive secretions that help defend our bodies through a mucosal immunity, and bioadhesives that create “marine snow,” a continuous shower of organic rain that delivers energy to the deep ocean.

From Scientific American

They are joined by other sinking biological particles, creating “marine snow” that slowly drops to the deep seafloor.

From Scientific American

Marine snow is anything but stable; as flakes free-fall into the abyss, they are constantly congealing and falling apart, rent by waves or predators.

From New York Times

To explore how marine snow and plastics are distributed in the water column, Dr. Mincer has begun to sample deeper waters with a dishwasher-size pump full of filters that dangles on a wire from a research boat.

From New York Times

But even with a research boat and its expensive and unwieldy equipment, an individual piece of marine snow is not easily retrieved from deep water in the actual ocean.

From New York Times