OXYGEDOM: Ocean deoxygenation effects on dissolved organic matter sequestration in a changing ocean
Seawater stores as much carbon in the form of dissolved organic matter (DOM) as there is CO2 in the atmosphere. Over a period of just 50 years (from 1960 to 2010) global oceanic oxygen reserves have been reduced by 2% and the anoxic waters have quadrupled, mainly due to anthropogenic global warming and eutrophication. Ocean deoxygenation leads to an expansion of oxygen minimum zones, which contain higher concentrations of DOM (carbon and sulfur) than the oxygenated ocean. While there is no consensus about the reasons behind DOM sequestration in oxygen minimum zones, it is well established that microbes are directly responsible for the production, degradation and recycling of marine DOM. The DFG Emmy Noether Research Group of Dr Gonzalo Gomez-Saez aims to identify the effects of ocean deoxygenation on DOM sequestration due to interactions with microbial communities and the marine carbon and sulfur cycles. We will include novel implementation of state-of-art methods to elucidate new links between the microbial biosphere with the chemical diversity of DOM in the context of a changing, deoxygenated ocean.
Project started in August 2022, more details on his group's page.