A closer look
The weather forecast is surprisingly dependent on the microscopic flatulence of oceanic algae. CERN's massive CLOUD experiment sought to understand what actually seeds cloud formation in the atmosphere. They found that dimethyl sulfide and other trace gases emitted by stressed phytoplankton act as crucial nucleation points. When these biogenic aerosols hit the atmosphere, they force water vapor to condense, effectively meaning ocean microbes are directly steering the global climate.
