Gooey Marine Snow May Sink Deeper and Lock Away More Carbon, Study Finds

New research from the University of Lincoln and UC San Diego shows that the viscosity of marine snow, the tiny organic particles that drift through the ocean, may play a major role in how much carbon reaches the deep sea. The stickier or more gooey the particles are, the harder they are for bacteria to break down, allowing them to sink further and carry more carbon into long-term storage. Published in Science, the study used a new microscopy technique to create 3D maps inside individual particles. The team estimates that highly viscous marine snow could transport more than six times as much carbon to the deep ocean as less viscous particles. That matters because only a fraction of the more than 10 billion tonnes of carbon that sinks each year actually reaches depths where it can stay stored for centuries. The findings could improve ocean carbon models and inform future blue carbon research, even though field verification and in-situ measurement are still needed before any market applications.