08.05.2024: Mara Rosmann (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel Germany): The Ocean as a global carbon sink – How the Deep Sea regulates our Climate, HS 02.11, Institut für Biologie, Bereich Zoologie, Universitätsplatz 2, 13:15 Uhr
The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In recent decades, the world ocean has taken up around 25 per cent of anthropogenic produced carbon, making it the second largest carbon reservoir on the planet. Eastern Boundary Upwelling Systems (EBUS) are marine regimes characterized by distinct physical and biological properties, resulting in significantly high carbon uptake rates. EBUS alone contribute 25 per cent to the total oceanic carbon absorption, which turns them into hot spots for ocean and climate research. Transparent Exopolymer Particles (TEP) are gel-like particles produced by phytoplankton, containing high amounts of carbon. An emerging concept suggests that those particles could play a major role in atmospheric carbon removal by the ocean. The upcoming talk will provide insights in recent research on TEP within an EBUS off central Chile and their potential to drive carbon uptake and its export into the deep ocean.