Microbial control of the carbon cycle in the ocean

Ling Wang

Index: 10.1093/nsr/nwy023

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Abstract

The oceans cover 71% of the area of our planet and serve as a major repository for anthropogenic CO2. The amount of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the ocean is comparable to the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. If all this DOC were to be respired, it would double the CO2 level in the atmosphere and result in catastrophic consequences. Over the past few decades, scientists have increasingly begun to understand the vital role that microbes play in the cycling of carbon in the ocean. Concepts such as the Microbial Loop (ML) and the Microbial Carbon Pump (MCP) have been proposed to describe the mechanisms by which microbes contribute to carbon flux and storage in the ocean, and the impact that this has on climate change.