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

See Examples For:

marine snow

To investigate the process, the researchers recreated marine snow in the laboratory using diatoms, microscopic algae that naturally clump together as they sink through the ocean.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

The team placed these artificial particles inside specially designed rotating pressure tanks that kept the marine snow suspended instead of allowing it to settle.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

And that marine snow becomes food for the creatures of the deep.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025

It was hunting for marine snow - “poo, basically” in the words of one researcher.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2024

In experiments in Crete, with funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research program, Dr. Galgani has tried mimicking marine snow on a larger scale.

From New York Times ● Apr. 3, 2022