Secret winter ocean conveyor: Study tracks chlorophyll plunges to 1,000m; deep sea stores carbon

Scientists have solved the mystery of unusually high concentrations of chlorophyll detected more than 1,000 metres beneath the ocean Scientists have solved the mystery of unusually high concentrations of chlorophyll detected more than 1,000 metres beneath the ocean surface by autonomous underwater robots after years of puzzling. The discovery, which took place between 2014 and 2017 in the North Atlantic, defied existing knowledge, as chlorophyll, produced by microscopic algae that rely on sunlight, is generally found in the upper layers of the ocean.Now, a new study in Science Advances has identified the mechanism behind this phenomenon, reported Phys Org. According to the research led by scientists from the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), powerful winter ocean currents have a fast-track for transporting living microalgae and organic matter from the surface to the deep sea, opening up an important pathway for carbon storage and the maintenance of deep-ocean ecosystems.A secret ocean circulation systemThe study was carried out in the subpolar North Atlantic, especially the Labrador and Irminger Seas, where the circulation of...