The invisible world of marine microbes will be revealed through a photographic art exhibit at Portland Public Library’s Lewis Gallery during the month of March. The exhibit will open as part of the First Friday Art Walk on March 6.

Entitled “Tiny Giants: Marine microbes revealed on a grand scale,” the photographic art exhibit illuminates the intricate details of microscopic creatures that are vital to the oxygen we breathe, the food chain essential from fish to whales to humans, and that mitigate the damaging effects of climate change.

These photos represent the technological and scientific achievement needed to capture microscopic marine microbes that are invisible to the naked eye. Scientists at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in East Boothbay, took the photographs at three different scales, using three different types of microscopes.

This exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to see the invisible, the beauty and wonder of these diminutive creatures that play such an important role in keeping the planet balanced.

The exhibit is free and open to the public during library hours: weekdays 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Portland Public Library/Lewis Gallery is located at 5 Monument Way.