Mini-column

Mini-column　　When I was a child, I left my goldfish tank for a few weeks and found a white fluffy buildup at the bottom of the tank. This would have been the result of the alteration of the goldfish detritus. It has been confirmed from underwater camera images that something like this forms in the deep ocean as well, and it is called marine snow because of the way the white fluff settles down all at once. However, when the seawater that would contain marine snow is sampled with a tubular water sampler and raised on board to be viewed, the marine snow becomes invisible. The composition and cause of the marines now remain a mystery, since the marine snow dissolves and disappears when the seawater is subjected to slight vibrations during the sampling process. On the other hand, the goldfish detritus in the aquarium stank, and I felt very sorry for them. After all these experiences, I am now engaged in the study of malodorous components in seawater (malodorous components in the sea are explained at the end of this chapter).

(OOKI Atsushi)