by A recent study led by the University of Washington suggests that reports of declining phytoplankton in the North Atlantic may have been exaggerated. Previous research using ice cores from Antarctica had indicated a 10% decline in marine productivity in the North Atlantic during the industrial era, raising concerns about the continuation of this trend.
However, the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenges these findings and suggests that marine phytoplankton may be more stable than previously believed. The researchers analyzed an ice core spanning 800 years and found that a more complex atmospheric process may explain the recent trends.
Phytoplankton, which are tiny floating photosynthetic organisms, form the foundation of the marine ecosystem and are crucial for sustaining larger organisms. They also play a significant role in producing approximately half of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. However, measuring the abundance of phytoplankton can be challenging, so scientists often rely on indirect methods.
One such method involves measuring dimethyl sulfide (DMS) emitted by phytoplankton. This gas eventually converts to methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and sulfate, which can be detected in ice cores. Previous studies using Greenland ice cores had shown a decline in MSA concentrations over the industrial era, indicating a decline in primary productivity in the North Atlantic.
The new study, however, took a different approach by measuring several sulfur-containing molecules in an ice core from central Greenland. The researchers found that human-generated pollutants, particularly sulfur-containing gases emitted by factories and vehicles, had changed the atmosphere’s chemistry, affecting the fate of gases emitted by phytoplankton.
Contrary to previous findings, the researchers discovered that sulfate derived from phytoplankton had actually increased during the industrial era. This offset the decline in MSA, indicating that phytoplankton-derived sulfur emissions have remained stable overall since the mid-1800s.
While this new study challenges the notion of declining marine productivity in the North Atlantic, the researchers caution that marine ecosystems still face numerous threats. They emphasize the importance of using a comprehensive approach, combining ice core measurements with other independent estimates of phytoplankton abundance, such as chlorophyll measurements, and modeling studies to gain a more accurate understanding of how marine productivity has changed in the past and may change in the future.
The study’s authors hope that their findings will contribute to better-informed conservation efforts and help mitigate the threats facing marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic and beyond.
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1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
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