Sargassum and other brown algae might be an underappreciated contributor of organic compounds called polyphenols to the open ocean.
Global Biogeochemical Cycles
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Ship-Based Measurements Overestimate Southern Ocean Carbon Sink
New research suggests that combining ship- and float-based observations provides a more accurate measure of how much carbon the Southern Ocean absorbs.
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Revealing the Ocean’s Rare but Prolific Carbon Export Events
New findings suggest that rare events underlie a global inverse relationship between primary production of organic carbon in the upper ocean and the fraction that is exported to the deep sea.
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How the Ocean’s “Shadow Zone” Breathes
A new study uses Argo floats and an ocean circulation model to track the sources supplying pulses of oxygen to the deep North Pacific.
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Pacific Carbon Uptake Accelerating Faster Than Expected
A new study suggests that shifting ocean currents drive faster carbon dioxide uptake.
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Big Data Help Paint a New Picture of Trace Element Cycling
A new framework for understanding the suite of processes acting on marine particulate trace metals exemplifies how alternative analyses can maximize the information that large data sets provide.
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A Look at How Long-Banned PCBs Persist in the Ocean
A new study tracks how climatic factors like sea ice cover and ocean circulation affect the life span and distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in the world’s oceans.
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Rising Methane Emissions Could Derail the Paris Agreement
A new study looks for the source of a spike in the potent greenhouse gas methane.
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Oceanic “Pump” Sends Small Carbon Particles to Twilight Zone
Underwater gliders provide unprecedented, daily data that reveal new insights into how carbon gets from the atmosphere to the deep ocean.
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A Novel Approach Reveals Element Cycles in the Ocean
Dissolved thorium isotopes light the way to a more thorough understanding of how different elements enter marine environments—and how long they stay there.