microbial oceanography Archives - State of the Planet

A New Center Will Study Ocean Chemical-Microbe Networks and Climate Change

Fast turnover of carbon between seawater and microbes is a fact, but how it works is largely a black hole. This projects aims to shed light.

by |September 9, 2021

As Oceans Warm, Microbes Could Pump More CO2 Back Into Air, Study Warns

A new study suggests bacteria may respire more carbon dioxide from the shallow oceans to the air as seas warm, reducing the deep oceans’ ability to store carbon.

by |April 29, 2019

Sonya Dyhrman Named Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology

The microbial oceanographer was elected a Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Microbiology in recognition of her scientific achievement.

by |February 7, 2019
net and boat

Exploring the Microbiome of an Ocean Bacteria

Braving the high seas and a curious shark, a team of scientists taps into the secret social life of a microbe that’s crucial for marine ecosystems.

by |February 12, 2018

By 2100, Climate Change Could Alter Key Microbial Interactions in the Ocean

The warmer, more acidic waters caused by climate change influence the behavior of tiny marine organisms essential to ocean health.

by |October 31, 2017

Adapting to the Unexpected

I grew up outside of Chicago and I wasn’t a Boy Scout, so sometimes I feel like I missed out on learning the type of practical—albeit rarely used—skills that would have garnered merit badges. Now that I’m nearing the conclusion of my fourth research expedition at sea, I think I have amassed a few badge-worthy tricks.

by |March 24, 2015

Sampling up a Storm

I’m writing from where L’Atalante is currently parked, 18S 170W, right in the middle of a giant, anomalously high sea surface chlorophyll patch. Such a high concentration of chlorophyll—a pigment that helps photosynthetic organisms harvest energy from sunlight, and the one that’s responsible for the green color of plants—can mean but one thing in the ocean: a phytoplankton bloom.

by |March 16, 2015

Navigating the South Pacific Using DNA

I’ve never been good at navigating. When I come out of the subway I invariably turn the wrong direction, even though I already have my nose buried in Google Maps, and then walk around the block to save face.

by |March 10, 2015

A Swirling Stew of Trichodesmium

Greetings from the center of that eddy I mentioned in my last post! We’ve been here for five days so far, but tomorrow we are finally moving on.

by |March 9, 2015

Trichodesmium is Everywhere!

We have completed the first two stations of the OUTPACE cruise and we are steaming to Station 3. By noon tomorrow we should be in the center of an eddy that our colleagues back on dry land have used satellite data to identify.

by |March 5, 2015