AI Insight
Scientists have found that the physical stickiness of marine snow—organic particles that sink through ocean water—significantly affects carbon transport to the deep ocean. Stickier, more viscous particles are more resistant to bacterial decomposition during their descent, allowing them to carry over six times more carbon to ocean depths compared to less sticky particles. This discovery reveals a previously underappreciated mechanism in the biological carbon pump that regulates atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Why it matters
Understanding the factors that control carbon sequestration in the deep ocean is critical for improving climate models and predicting future atmospheric CO2 concentrations. This finding could help scientists better estimate the ocean's capacity to absorb carbon and inform strategies for natural climate regulation.
Understand the Science
Scientists have discovered that the stickiness of underwater “marine snow” plays a surprisingly important role in how much carbon reaches the deep ocean. Gooier particles resist bacterial breakdown and can transport more than six times as much carbon to the depths, revealing an unexpected connection between ocean slime and Earth’s climate.
Source: Hidden climate superpower: Why some ocean “snow” carries six times more carbon