A globally important microbial process hidden in ocean particles

How about on earth?

A question that has plagued scientists for many years is whether bacteria that survive from dissolved organic matter in seawater can fix nitrogen, and how they fix nitrogen

As early as the 1980s, it was suggested that the so-called "ocean snow particle" aggregates might be a suitable location for nitrogen fixation, but this has never been confirmed

Until now.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Copenhagen used mathematical models to prove that the fixation of nitrogen by microorganisms can occur on the aggregation of living and dead organisms in marine plankton

Sea snow

——"Our work took almost two years, but it was definitely worth it because the result was a big breakthrough

Through their model, the researchers can also show the fixed depth distribution of N2 in the ocean water column

Marine water sampler

Marine water samples are usually collected in bottles attached to so-called rosettes, as shown in the picture

-"This comparison gives us confidence in the model," said corresponding author Lasse Riemann, a professor in the Department of Biology

The researchers hope that their research will inspire future research on the life of marine particles, as it seems to play a key role in the circulation of many nutrients in the ocean

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