Sea monkeys, a type of brine shrimp, can apparently move ocean currents in a manner similar to that of wind and tides work together. 

Brine shrimp or Artemia salina are like any other zooplankton that travel in large groups, swimming in an upward and downward motion beneath the ocean surface.

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This movement is caused by the tiny brine shrimp gravitating toward different light conditions. At night, they approach the surface and retreat to deeper sea levels during daytime.

When this movement occurs, this massive motion generates a strong current that can affect ocean circulation and tides on a global scale, said a study from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

According to study co-author John Dabiri from Caltech, this movement actually reveals more about how animals regardless their size can displace water that is significantly longer or larger than their body size.

To further study and observe this phenomenon, Caltech researchers placed these sea monkeys in a special aquarium surrounded by lasers. A blue laser was triggered when the tiny shrimp migrated to the surface. A green laser indicated the brine shrimps were swimming in the center of the tank.

The water inside the tank was dotted with tiny silver coated glass spheres that reflected the light from the lasers. This allowed researchers to visually pinpoint the changing movements of the shrimp currents. These currents were filmed by a high speed camera.

Even if a shrimp just measures a mere 5 millimeters long, the collective power from their movement can generate a trillion watts.

This study suggests how microscopic animals influence ocean's currents along with winds. Both affect the ocean's temperature that in turn, provides food and nutrients essential for marine life.

This particular study was published in the journal, Physics of Fluids.

TagsHow Sea Monkeys Control the World's Ocean Currents, zooplankton, seamonkeys, ocean currents, caltech, seamonkeys ocean currents caltech