marine snow

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marine snow

Where it comes from

Coined by American naturalist William Beebe.

noun

uncountable Sinking organic detritus in the ocean. Marine snow contains sufficient energy and nutrients to sustain large numbers of marine organisms in the aphotic zone. Unconsumed marine snow eventually sinks to the bottom where it becomes incorporated into the layer of muddy ooze that forms a thick blanket over much of the seafloor.
Similar: ocean dandruff, snow

Translations

Every language

noun sinking organic detritus in the ocean

Español	nieve marina
Português	neve marinha
Français	neige marine
Deutsch	Meeresschnee

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MLA

"marine snow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/marine%20snow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

marine snow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/marine%20snow

Chicago

"marine snow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/marine%20snow.

BibTeX

@misc{marine_snow_2026,
  title = {marine snow},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/marine%20snow},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}