Immense hydrocarbon cycle discovered in the world’s oceans
04/06/2021 / By Franz Walker
In a new study, researchers discovered a whole new cycle of natural hydrocarbon production and recycling in the world’s oceans. This discovery can help scientists better understand how the ocean’s microbes will respond to hydrocarbons present in spilled petroleum.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). Using funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation, they investigated a previously neglected area for signs of an overlooked global hydrocarbon cycle and how it might impact the ocean’s response to oil spills.
“We demonstrated that there is a massive and rapid hydrocarbon cycle that occurs in the ocean, and that it is distinct from the ocean’s capacity to respond to petroleum inputs,†said UCSB researcher David Valentine, the study’s senior author.
Valentine and his team’s findings were published in the journal Nature Microbiology.
https://www.environ.news/2021-04-06-immense-hydrocarbon-cycle-discovered-in-oceans.html#
