A new study reveals that deep-sea microbes like Nitrosopumilus maritimus can adapt to warmer, nutrient-poor waters, maintaining their role in nitrogen cycling and primary production. This finding suggests that these microbes may play an important role in reshaping ocean-nutrient distribution in a changing climate.
A new study improves projection accuracy by combining climate model projections with observational data. The analysis reveals that many models overestimate global warming and refines estimates of the remaining carbon budget, narrowing the uncertainty range from 352-702 billion tons to 251-666 billion tons.
Scientists have found that oceanic anaerobic respiration produces sulfur species, forming pyrite or 'fool's gold', which helps buffer the alkalinity of water and prevent acidification. This process has a stabilizing effect on the ocean, playing a significant role in preserving its alkalinity for millions of years.
Researchers from Macquarie University have found that the Earth's gradual cooling led to a flip in the deep cycling of carbon and chlorine between the surface and interior. Most carbon accumulates into solid carbonate sediments, while chlorine typically returns to the surface as volcanic gases.
A new study suggests Earth's oxygenation was driven by internal biogeochemical feedbacks involving phosphorus, carbon, and oxygen cycles. This theory produced the same three-step pattern as the geological record without requiring biological advances beyond simple cyanobacteria.