Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Particles of mostly organic debris, such as dead or decomposed organisms, fecal matter, and sand, that drift downward through the ocean from the upper levels, serving as a food source for a variety of organisms inhabiting the deeper regions where sunlight does not reach.
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frogapplause commented on the word marine snow
When plants and animals near the surface of the ocean die, they decay and gradually fall to the seafloor. This dead matter can clump together with sand, soot, fecal matter and other material to form what is called marine snow, so named because it looks like tiny bits of white fluff. Marine snow continuously rains down on the deep ocean, feeding many of the creatures that dwell there. --LiveScience
May 6, 2010