Nature adrift; the story of marine plankton

TODAY THERE is a remarkable interest in the living things of the sea, partly due to a real desire for increased general knowledge especially about things not too commonplace.Science leaps forward during wars, many new tools and techniques are discovered and developed, and after this hectic stimulation there follows a period during which men set out idealistically to search for truth and self knowledge.That the sea and the life in it has received its share of this interest is thus also in part due to the frogman's equipment and the underwater camera, which provide an opportunity to see so much more of these creatures in their natural homes.Not only have those benefited who themselves venture into this field, but through films and television a greater number can now experience this very real thrill for e, and centres themselves.Such an interest is both receptive and questioning, largely on the desire to know more of the 'how' and the 'why' of the myriad living creatures, how they live and depend on each other, and how their existence has its effect on us.The drifting plankton, as the basis of life in the sea, including of course the fish, certainly has a greater effect on us than PLaTE II.(Top left) The one metre tow net being hauled from the stern of the research ship Scotia.(Top right) The flowmeter in the tail-piece of the Gulf III plankton sampler.(Bottom left) The stinging jellyfish, Cyanea, left by the tide in a rock pool.(Bottom right) The Portuguese Man o' War, Physalia, just after capturing a fish.Three photographs by N. T. Nicoll, Physalia by D. P.