Microbial Carbon Sequestration in the Ocean: The Big Role of Small Bugs in Mitigating Global Climate Change——An Interview with Prof. JIAO Nianzhi

摘要

Ocean is the largest carbon reservoir on Earth.By taking up about one-third of all human carbon emissions,it has efectively reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide and eased global climate change.Scientists have studied extensively on the mechanisms of CO2absorption in the ocean,or the so-called'carbon pumps',from physical to chemical and biological pumps.Microbes,traditionally regarded as organic matter decomposers,had been long neglected until a few years ago Prof.JIAO Nianzhi from Xiamen University proposed the concept'microbial carbon pump(MCP)'illustrating that these tiny marine inhabitants are also producers of refractory dissolved organic carbon,a