Gooier Marine Snow Transports More Carbon, Study Finds
A new study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography reveals that the viscosity of marine snow significantly impacts carbon sequestration. Gooey marine snow transports carbon to the deep ocean more efficiently than less viscous particles.
Why it matters
Understanding the mechanics of marine snow helps scientists better predict how the ocean stores carbon, which is critical for climate change modeling.
In the deep sea, it never stops snowing. The type of snow that falls in the ocean, known as marine snow, is very different from the flaky geometric wonders that fall on land. Marine snow describes tiny clumps of organic and inorganic detritus - think mucus, poop, silt, dead plankton, etc. - that rain from the shallows into the deep.
As they sink from the surface to the seafloor, they take tons of carbon with them. Scientists estimate that marine snow transports more than 10 gigatons of carbon away from the surface every year. However, only two gigatons are believed to sink deep enough to be stored for hundreds to thousands of years.
Scientists have long wondered what factors limit this essential part of the carbon cycle. Now scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Lincoln recently discovered one cause of this discrepancy.
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