News / Science News

    Major deep carbon sink linked to microbes at volcanic island chains

    As much as 19 percent more carbon dioxide than previously believed is removed naturally and stored deep underground in seafloor trenches near island chains of volcanoes, according to scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Rutgers University and other institutions. The process helps keep this greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere.



    How carbon is cycled near volcano chains. Photo: Patricia Barcala Dominguez/NSF


    The microbes that live in subsurface realms such as seafloor trenches play a significant role in storing the carbon. Incorporating carbon in their biomass may help subsurface microbes form calcite, a mineral made of calcium carbonate.

    The study investigated how microbes alter the flow of carbon in subduction zones. Such zones are found where two of Earth's tectonic plates collide, with the heavier plate sinking beneath the lighter one and moving material into Earth's interior.

    Where a sinking, or subducting, oceanic plate dives beneath another oceanic plate, an island arc of volcanoes forms. Arc volcanoes are hotspots for carbon dioxide emissions that enter the atmosphere.

    Increased knowledge of the long-term effects of volcanoes on carbon dioxide and how they may be buffered by biological processes is important for evaluating natural and human impacts on climate. (National Science Foundation)

    MAY 7, 2019



    YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

    Researchers have identified a gene associated with migration in golden-winged warblers.
    Researchers identified an almost complete set of proteins, a proteome, in the dental enamel of the rhino and the genetic information discovered is one million years older than the oldest DNA sequenced from a 700,000-year-old horse.
    People have very individualized inflammatory responses to eating a high-fat meal.
    Scientists have designed an ultra-miniaturised device that could image single cells without the need for a microscope or make chemical fingerprint analysis possible from within a smartphone camera.
    Using radar data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, recently published research presents a new scenario to explain why some methane-filled lakes on Saturn's moon Titan are surrounded by steep rims that reach hundreds of feet high.
    Treating preterm infants with antibiotics for more than 20 months appears to promote the development of multidrug-resistant gut bacteria.

    © 1991-2023 The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin | Titi Tudorancea® is a Registered Trademark | Terms of use and privacy policy
    Contact