“The Ocean’s Green Machines” is Episode 3 in the six-part series “Tides of Change”, exploring amazing NASA ocean science to celebrate Earth Science Week 2009. To find out more visit climate.nasa.gov Want more? Subscribe to NASA on iTunes! phobos.apple.com Or get tweeted by NASA: twitter.com One tiny marine plant makes life on Earth possible: phytoplankton. These microscopic photosynthetic drifters form the basis of the marine food web, they regulate carbon in the atmosphere, and are responsible for half of the photosynthesis that takes place on this planet. Earths climate is changing at an unprecedented rate, and as our home planet warms, so does the ocean. Warming waters have big consequences for phytoplankton and for the planet.