Los beneficios silenciosos de los océanos: el valor del fitoplancton

This fact sheet describes research supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) on the ecosystem services provided by phytoplankton, specifically their role in oxygen production and carbon sequestration, and the efforts of the Antares Network to monitor these processes across Latin America.

• Phytoplankton are single-celled marine plants that serve as the foundation of the oceanic food chain, supporting life ranging from fish to whales. They provide a critical ecosystem service by producing half of the planet's available oxygen.
• The ocean absorbs approximately one-third of global CO2 emissions, a process influenced by biological and environmental conditions, including the size and type of phytoplankton present in specific areas.
• Research conducted through the Antares Network utilizes permanent monitoring at five Latin American observatories: the Estación Permanente de Estudios Ambientales de Argentina (EPEA), Ubatuba in Brazil, Ensenada in Mexico, the Instituto del Mar de Perú (IMARPE), and a station in Cariaco, Venezuela.
• The Antares Network project, with a budget of US$699,979 and led by the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciales in Brazil, involves scientists from eight countries. The goal is to quantify the benefits oceans provide to humans and reduce uncertainty for policymakers, particularly during the United Nations' Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030).
• Future studies aim to incorporate monitoring data from Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador. However, the high cost and difficulty of obtaining permanent data on phytoplankton and the oceanic environment have created a knowledge gap regarding factors affecting marine ecosystem health and its impact on food security and human society.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Los beneficios silenciosos de los océanos: el valor del fitoplancton. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN-3094-sp.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Los beneficios silenciosos de los océanos: el valor del fitoplancton. n.d. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN-3094-sp.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Los beneficios silenciosos de los océanos: el valor del fitoplancton |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN-3094-sp.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndlos, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Los beneficios silenciosos de los océanos: el valor del fitoplancton}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/CRN-3094-sp.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }