How Important Are Tiny Krill To Ocean Turbulence

It has been studied this past september that the movement in coalescence of tiny Krill is very important in generating Ocean turbulence which results in the movement of nutrients from the deeper depths of the ocean to the surface. The study of this phenomena occurred in British Columbia and is the direct result of daily migration patterns of this animal from deep waters to surface waters for food. This mass movement of these tiny animals generates currents which upwell nutrients from the nutrient rich waters near the bottom of the sea floor. It was also found that gases such as Carbon Dioxide and heat were being cycled in the same way. It has not yet been documented how crucial this activity is for the ecosystems in these area; however it is likely of great significance as everything is in nature.
I personally believe that this is another great example of how there are likely so many processes that occuring in the oceans that we do not even no about. Things such as bottom trawling and dumping of toxic sewage into the oceans disturbs these ecosystems as well as a lot of the species that would normally have been there. What if humans wipe out or greatly diminish this tiny krill species? The entire ecosystem could be thrown out of whack as not only are these tiny creatures crucial as food and consumers but as shown have other effects on the ecosystem as well.

Link:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060921-krill-turbulence_2.html