The Ocean Below

March 30, 2016

This diagram illustrates the links among the ocean’s biological pump and pelagic food web and our ability to sample these components from ships, satellites and autonomous vehicles.

Vast and amorphous, the ocean covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. It is a key player in the global carbon cycle, producing about half of the world’s output of organic carbon.

Unlike terrestrial ecosystems, which can store carbon for decades, most of the organic carbon produced in the ocean is converted into CO2 within a few days. New work by UC Santa Barbara researchers aims to facilitate a new understanding of ocean carbon transport processes, which affect climates around the world.