Organic Matter in Oceans May Help Counteract Greenhouse Effect

Vast amounts of organic matter in oceans, once thought to be inert, may help mitigate the greenhouse effect, bioengineers at the University of Washington report in Nature.

Tiny chains of carbon-based molecules appear to be spontaneously assembling into molecular networks, called polymer gels, that could serve as a way for the carbon in dissolved organic matter to be recycled into the atmosphere or to be locked up in ocean sediments, the researchers said. The team analyzed the organic polymers dissolved in seawater from Puget Sound, the Arctic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean.

“Our research raises the possibility that dissolved organic matter in the oceans might be playing an unforeseen role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,” said University of Washington bioengineering professor Pedro Verdugo.