Exploring The Deep Sea: How Bacterial Proteins Could Impact Our Climate
A recent study published in Nature Communications has revealed the potential for deep seafloor microbial protein production to be a major contributor to climate regulation. This discovery has revealed a much larger role for the deep seafloor than previously thought. The study was conducted by researchers from the Eawag Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Germany and the University of Vienna in Austria.
The team collected samples from the Mediterranean Sea at a depth of up to 3,000 meters and analyzed the contents. They found that the microbial proteins in the deep seafloor were significantly higher than expected and had a significant impact on the ocean’s carbon cycle. Furthermore, the team found that these proteins were responsible for 20-30% of the deep ocean’s carbon uptake. This means that the deep seafloor could be an important factor in climate regulation, with microbial proteins acting as a source of carbon.
This discovery is a major breakthrough in understanding the role of the deep seafloor in climate regulation. It is possible that the deep seafloor could play an even larger role in future climate change, making it an important area of research for scientists.
source: Phys.org