Scientists study the distribution of residual carbon in the Atlantic Ocean read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1338-scientists-study-the-distribution-of-residual-carbon-in-the-atlantic-ocean

The oceans hold a vast reservoir, over 700 billion tons of carbon dissolved in seawater as organic matter, often surviving for thousands of years after being produced by ocean life.

A new map is helping scientists study the distribution of residual carbon in the Atlantic Ocean.

Decaying plant and animal matter is responsible for a massive reservoir called dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC is concentrated in and on the seabed. A portion of the carbon supports life, while the rest is stored in ocean sediments sometimes for thousands of years.

Scientists at the University of Miami gather oceanic data over the last 15 years. Included in the data were measurements of dissolved organic carbon measured via direct sampling and satellite imaging.

DOC is produced by phytoplankton during photosynthesis, and phytoplankton relies on nutrients brought to the ocean's surface by up-welling, when vertical currents deliver deep lying, cold, oxygenated water to the surface.

Cristina Romera-Castillo, a former postdoctoral researcher at Miami, said, in our work we found that the production of dissolved organic carbon depends on the quantity of nutrients that reach the euphotic zone from deeper layers.

In future scenarios, how climate change will affect the nutrient arrival to the surface ocean will determine the inventory of dissolved organic carbon in the ocean.

The findings suggest the Atlantic Ocean is responsible for the production of as much as a third of the world's dissolved organic carbon.

Understanding the movement of carbon throughout the planet's various oceanic, geologic and climatic cycles will help researchers better predict the effects of climate change.

Study co-author Dennis Hansell, a professor of ocean sciences at Miami, said, carbon is involved in all aspects of our life. We need to understand the carbon cycle on Earth, especially as we add more from the burning of fossil fuels.