Abstract
DISSOLVED organic carbon in sea water (DOC) is one of the chief reservoirs of reactive organic carbon on the planet1. To determine the rate at which this carbon breaks down, a longstanding paradox must be solved. DOC appears to be remarkably unreactive2, yet it must be reactive to maintain the mass balance between organic carbon in the ocean and CO2 in the atmosphere1. Here we show that the coagulation of colloidal DOC on bubble surfaces initiates the rapid microbial respiration of carbon which would otherwise be less accessible to the biota. This coupling of respiration to surface coagulation as a physical means of regenerating a substantial fraction (5–15%) of oceanic DOC could be a key factor in the mechanism required to recycle a recalcitrant reservoir of carbon back to CO2.
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Kepkay, P., Johnson, B. Coagulation on bubbles allows microbial respiration of oceanic dissolved organic carbon. Nature 338, 63–65 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/338063a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/338063a0
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