Hidden climate superpower: Why some ocean “snow” carries six times more carbon
Scientists have discovered that the viscosity of 'marine snow' significantly impacts how much carbon is sequestered in the deep ocean. Stickier particles are more resistant to bacterial breakdown, allowing them to transport six times more carbon to the seafloor.
Why it matters
This finding improves our understanding of the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle and its capacity to mitigate climate change.
Far below the ocean's surface, a constant snowfall drifts through the darkness. But unlike the frozen flakes that fall from the sky, this underwater snow consists of tiny clumps of waste, dead organisms, and other debris. Known as marine snow , these particles contain everything from mucus and animal feces to silt and the remains of microscopic plankton.
As this material sinks, it carries enormous quantities of carbon from the upper ocean toward the seafloor. Researchers estimate that marine snow removes more than 10 gigatons of carbon from surface waters each year. Yet only about two gigatons reach depths where that carbon can remain stored for hundreds or even thousands of years.
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