Planktonium is “a voyage into a secret universe, inhabited by alien-like creatures.” And yet, their secret universe is right here on Earth. This short wordless version of Planktonium is an excerpt of a longer 15 minute film by Dutch filmmaker and photographer Jan van IJken.

“These stunningly beautiful, very diverse and numerous organisms are unknown to most of us because they are invisible to the naked eye. However, they are wandering beneath the surface of all waters around us and they are of vital importance for all life on earth.”

“Renowned Norwegian artist Jana Winderen made a sound composition for the film. She is recording audio environments and creatures which are hard for humans to access, both physically and aurally – deep under water, inside ice or in frequency ranges inaudible to the human ear.

“Phytoplankton (small plant-like cells) are producing half of all oxygen on earth by photosynthesis, like plants and trees do on land. Zooplankton are forming the base of the food chain of aquatic life. Plankton are also playing an important part in the global carbon cycle. The plankton are threatened by climate change, global warming and acidification of the oceans.”

Watch these plankton videos and microscopic explorations:
• Animated Life: Seeing the Invisible
• From Drifter to Dynamo: The Story of Plankton
• The Secret Life of Plankton
• Para Films’ The Plankton Chronicles
• How Life Begins in the Deep Ocean
• Wim van Egmond’s award-winning microscopic videos
• Hunting for microbes in Central Park’s murkiest waters
• The Big City, a microscopic tour of Vancouver