Scientist Reveals What You Actually Ingest When You Swallow Seawater

If you have ever swum in the ocean, you have probably accidentally swallowed a mouthful of seawater at one time or another.

In a post on TikTok, biology professor Adolfo Sánchez-Blanco, aka dr.bioforever, shared a look at the microscopic life that may have been inside that salty swig.

"It would depend where the ocean water was sampled," Sánchez-Blanco told Newsweek. "The important thing is that the ocean is teeming with microscopic life and that this microscopic life is essential for the overall health of the marine ecosystems, as these creatures occupy a fundamental role in the marine food web."

He continued: "I was always fascinated about the fact that the ocean is teeming with microscopic life and wanted to make a video about this so that people could be aware of this fascinating fact."

In the video, which has been viewed over 6.8 million times on TikTok, Sánchez-Blanco takes a small sample of seawater and places it drop by drop under a microscope. Each drop contains a menagerie of microorganisms, which Sánchez-Blanco lists in the video description (in order of appearance):

• Nauplius larva of a microscopic crustacean
• Diatom next to a grain of sand
• Broken fustule of a diatom
• Dinoflagellate
• Diatom
• Colonial diatom and a swimming protozoan

"The microorganisms portrayed in the video are not harmful," Sánchez-Blanco said. "In fact, most of the organisms portrayed in the video are important planktonic organisms. For example, a good number of the organisms that you could see are called diatoms. Diatoms are microscopic algae and are so abundant that, by photosynthesis, they produce at least 20 percent of the oxygen in our planet."

But what happens when we swallow these tiny creatures?

"If you were to swallow a little bit of ocean water by accident, do not worry, as it won't make you sick," Sánchez-Blanco said. "The hydrochloric acid that your stomach produces will kill the microorganisms that you ingest.

"These microorganisms are not a problem," he went on. "The problem is when the ocean gets polluted. This will alter the balance in the ecosystem, and harmful bacteria or toxic algae blooms will thrive. This can lead to gastrointestinal infections, skin issues or other worse problems."

Sánchez-Blanco, who teaches at Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut, began creating TikTok videos for his students. "My main goal was to use the power of social media to excite my students to learn the material that we cover in class," he said.

"I mostly make microscopy videos, but I really enjoy making videos about any interesting biological fact that I could encounter. I have a particular interest in making videos where I sample remote ponds or streams of water in the forest to show the amazing microscopic creatures that can be found there," he said.