Recent significant events have demonstrated the critical role of ocean phytoplankton in sustaining life on earth. Also known as saltwater algae, ocean 'phytos' are thousands of types of microscopic, unicellular plant-like organisms that float or swim about within sunlit areas of oceanic waters. Like terrestrial plants, 'phytos' use CO2, sunlight and various minerals to survive, grow and multiply, and release oxygen into the waters as by-product. 'Phytos' form the base of Earth's oceanic food chain and have been known to supply some 70% of Earth's atmospheric oxygen before industrial times. Here are certain indicators of 'phytos' critical roles, as sourced from various internet websites: 1) In 1991 the Philippine volcano Mt. Pinatubo blew out 40,000 tons of ejecta such as silica sand, pumice rock fragments, minerals, sulfur dioxide, volcanic glass, ash and fine clay into the atmosphere. Some twenty million tons of ash and sulfur d