Article Summary:

BBC Earth News has reported the results of a new study which shows that the turbulence created by motor driven propellers has an effect on zooplankton populations. The full study, published in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, suggests that in areas with high boat traffic, about one-third of the codepods were dead. Samantha Bickel, a PhD student at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, USA said:

“When viewed at a global scale, the portion of zooplankton killed by boat-generated turbulence is probably minimal.”

However, turbulence could have a significant impact on zooplankton, and therefore water ecology, on a more local level.