The Earth's climate is no chance mechanism. It is an extremely complex system mainly driven by the subtle balance of various processes on the planet. A vital aspect of the planet's climate is the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide.
Air-Sea Exchange of CO2 Influences the Earth's Climate System
Monitoring the CO2 uptake in the oceans is a key to understanding climate change. Scientists at the EPFL and the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography recently discovered in a groundbreaking study a new part of the process. The team identified a new source of organic phosphorus delivered from the atmosphere that can potentially help phytoplankton and microalgae grow. The latter plays a crucial role in making Earth habitable.
The deposition of organic phosphorus to marine environments has not been studied until today. The new groundbreaking study showed that it is a vital and often overlooked source of a key nutrient with implications for the planet's climate.
Phytoplanktons need various chemical elements to grow, the main ones being nitrogen, iron, and phosphorus. The abundance of these chemicals allows phytoplankton to bloom and carry out vital functions of photosynthesis, during which large quantities of CO2 are absorbed from the air and converted to biomass while also releasing equal oxygen. It makes them highly vital to living organisms and gives them a key role in regulating the climate of Earth. Phytoplankton is also the base of aquatic food chains which sustain marine ecosystems.
Terrestrial Fertilization of Marine Ecosystems
The bioavailability and supply of phosphorus affect the growth rate of phytoplankton, the rate at which the microscopic organisms photosynthesize, and the quantities of CO2 absorbed. Therefore, it's vital to identify the ways in which marine ecosystems are fertilized. It also provides valuable insignia to the climate system and how anthropogenic activities affect it.
Kalliopi Violaki, lead author of the study and a scientist at the Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes and is part of EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, explains that they have already known that vast amounts of inorganic phosphorus are transported to marine ecosystems via airborne dust from phosphate mineral sand ions. However, the picture has always been incomplete, reports PhysOrg.
In a study published in the journal Climate and Atmospheric Science, titled "Bioaerosols and dust are the dominant sources of organic P in atmospheric particles," Violaki organized and ran a two-year-long research program. During this period, she discovered that airborne biological particles known as bioaerosols like bacteria, fungi, viruses, pollen, and plant fibers contain a significant amount of organic phosphorus. Although the amount is still uncertain, the team knows that it is vital because it is comparable to the number of inorganic phosphorus supplied by dust aerosols. Additionally, organic phosphorus is often found in phospholipids, a key component of the cell membrane.
Athanasios Nenes, the co-author of the study, says that awareness that terrestrial ecosystems fertilize marine ecosystems gives scientists a completely new perspective. He added that it would help researchers better understand the processes that influence the planet's carbon cycle and climate.
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