Plankton's Vital Role in Carbon Sequestration Unveiled

Plankton's Vital Role in Carbon Sequestration Unveiled
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 07, 2023

The ocean's capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is some 20% greater than the estimates contained in the latest IPCC report. These are the findings of a study published in the journal Nature on December 6, 2023, led by an international team, including a biologist from the CNRS.

Plankton, those tiny, often overlooked organisms in the ocean, are revealed as key players in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters down to the seabed. They perform a remarkable task of gobbling up carbon dioxide and converting it into organic tissue through the process of photosynthesis. When these microscopic marine creatures reach the end of their life cycle, they transform into particles known as 'marine snow.'

Marine snow, denser than seawater, descends to the seabed, effectively storing carbon in the depths of the ocean. This process not only sequesters carbon but also provides essential nutrients for a wide range of deep-sea organisms, from minuscule bacteria to deep-sea fish.

The groundbreaking study, conducted by a team of seven scientists, analyzed a vast dataset collected from oceanographic vessels worldwide since the 1970s. Through meticulous analysis, they digitally mapped the fluxes of organic matter throughout the world's oceans. The result of their research is a revised estimate of the ocean's carbon storage capacity, now standing at 15 gigatonnes per year. This represents a substantial increase of approximately 20% compared to the previous estimate of 11 gigatonnes per year published by the IPCC in its 2021 report.

This reassessment of the ocean's storage capacity represents a significant advancement in our understanding of carbon exchanges between the atmosphere and the ocean on a global scale. It highlights the ocean's pivotal role in the long-term regulation of the global climate.

It is important to note that while this absorption process takes place over tens of thousands of years, it cannot offset the exponential increase in CO2 emissions caused by worldwide industrial activities since 1750. Nevertheless, it underscores the importance of the ocean ecosystem as a major contributor to the complex puzzle of climate regulation.

In conclusion, the study underscores the remarkable role of plankton and the ocean in mitigating climate change. While it doesn't provide a silver bullet solution, it emphasizes the significance of preserving and understanding our planet's ecosystems as we grapple with the challenges of a changing climate.

Research Report:Biological carbon pump estimate based on multi-decadal hydrographic data