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News Release 08-124

Outflow from World's Largest River --the Amazon--Powers Atlantic Ocean Carbon "Sink"

Microbes in tropical ocean waters lead to increased carbon uptake

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Photo showing the Amazon River's outflow into the Atlantic Ocean.

True-color image of the Amazon River outflow, which extends thousands of kilometers into the Atlantic Ocean.

Credit: Norman Kuring/NASA


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A large plume of nutrient-rich waters flows from the Amazon River thousands of kilometers out into the ocean. It was believed that the tropical oceans were nutrient poor and had a low carbon uptake. Biological oceanographer Ajit Subramaniam and marine scientist Doug Capone discuss their new findings which show high carbon uptake and sequestration in tropical waters as photoplankton rapidly grow, fix nitrogen, take up CO2, and sink rapidly to the bottom.

Credit: Columbia University/University of Southern California/National Science Foundation

 

Close-up image of a diatom, which contains symbiotic bacteria that take nitrogen from the air.

Symbiotic bacteria inside microscopic life forms called diatoms take nitrogen from the air, enabling them to thrive in the nutrient-poor tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Credit: David Caron


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Photo of oceanographer Edward Carpenter looking at diatoms through a microscope.

Oceanographer Edward Carpenter of San Francisco State University looks at diatoms through a microscope.

Credit: Edward Carpenter


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