Plankton, the tiny drifting sea creatures found throughout the ocean, and have been raining unceasingly on the sea floor as individuals die, could now be used to generate power. Planktons have been deposited as organic (reduced carbon) matter in the sediment. This organic matter is a rich and practically inexhaustible source of energy for animals and microorganisms that normally live at the bottom of the sea. Research jointly funded by the US Office of Naval Research and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is trying to harness just a small portion of this energy to power up small remote instruments.
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