The increasing sunlight and warmth of springtime provoke buds and blooms amidst the trees, flowers, and grasses on land. Warm air and sunlight also beget warmer ocean waters and provoke blooms of the “grass of the sea”—phytoplankton. These tiny, plant-like organisms float near the ocean surface and turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into sugars and oxygen. In turn, they become food for the grazing zooplankton, shellfish and other sea creatures.