Deep ocean pressure squeezes nutrients from marine snow, altering carbon cycle understanding

A new study from the University of Southern Denmark published in Science Advances reveals that the immense pressure in the deep ocean squeezes hidden nutrients out of sinking marine snow. This process feeds deep-sea microbes and changes how scientists think about the ocean's role in the global carbon cycle. The research suggests that more carbon may escape from sinking particles before they reach the seafloor, meaning the ocean stores carbon differently than previously assumed. For those tracking carbon sinks and climate models, this is a significant finding. If deep-sea microbes are consuming more organic carbon mid-descent, the amount of carbon that gets buried on the seafloor could be lower than current estimates. That has direct implications for how we calculate the ocean's long-term carbon storage capacity and how we model future climate scenarios. The study adds a new variable to the carbon cycle that most models have not accounted for.