The Noble Sea Sponge and its Role in Global Carbon Cycling

Global cycling of chemicals and nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon (Si) drive one of the most important biological processes on our planet, primary production and the removal of carbon from our atmosphere. What happens when the largest carbon and silicon sink isn’t actually as big as scientists originally thought? Chemical oceanographers Manuel Maldonado and his colleagues have come up with a new way to study the oceans most important chemical cycles and the surprisingly important role of the simple sea sponge.

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We need to talk about the elephant in the carbon budget

In order to create a carbon budget, we need to identify everything that is taking carbon in and out of the atmosphere. While we have a pretty good idea of the important processes, could we be missing another “big” piece of the puzzle? In this study, scientists try to figure out if elephants are having an impact on the carbon cycle where they live.

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