If you would like to have your recent publications featured on the OCB website please contact ocb_news@whoi.edu. View our guidelines for writing a New OCB Research post.
Each year, as the North Atlantic transitions from turbulent spring mixing to layered summer stratification, a key question emerges: How do these seasonal changes reshape bacterial host-virus interactions and control carbon flux? In a recent study published in Microorganisms, researchers show that seasonal stratification regulates viral activity by modulating encounter rates between viruses and distinct […]
Read MoreThe ocean has absorbed a quarter of anthropogenic CO2 emissions, mitigating changes. However, predicting the future fate of this ‘sink’ is challenging as marine carbon is regulated by a complex set of interacting processes that respond differently to warming. Our recent study teases apart these interactions with a novel mechanistic carbon decomposition and attribution framework […]
Read MoreDo ecological feedbacks matter in a changing world?
Interactions among organisms shape ecological dynamics, while exchanges with the environment alter physical and chemical conditions. Examples of these include predator-prey dynamics (biotic interaction), the release of nutrients through excretion (chemical changes), or the development of coral reefs (physical changes). Together, these processes can generate feedback loops, which may amplify or buffer the impacts of […]
Read MoreBeyond carbonate chemistry: Biogenic silica dissolution may weaken carbon sequestration under ocean alkalinity enhancement
Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a promising carbon dioxide removal strategy, yet evaluating its net carbon removal potential requires understanding not only seawater carbonate chemistry, but also biological feedbacks that may influence long-term carbon sequestration. While most OAE studies focus on resolving immediate responses during biomass production, much less attention is paid to processes occurring […]
Read MoreBGC-Argo floats reveal shifting nitrogen cycling in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific
Oxygen-deficient zones are regions of the ocean where microbes consume nitrate in lieu of oxygen. This drives major losses of biologically available nitrogen. In a recent study, we used a BGC-Argo float in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific to remotely observe these processes over nearly three years. Using a new method to extract nitrite from […]
Read MoreHow do phytoplankton respond to short-term changes in temperature and nutrient availability, and how does this response vary under different baseline conditions? A recent study perturbed a summer plankton community by manipulating nutrient concentrations and temperature (±4°C) in short-term controlled microcosms to assess the relative impacts of each factor on phytoplankton physiology and community structure. […]
Read MoreHow much carbon do ocean eddies actually pump into the ocean interior? A decade ago, a landmark study (Omand et al, 2015) showed that turbulent eddies at ocean fronts can grab carbon-rich surface water and plunge it hundreds of meters down in a matter of days—back-of-the-envelope extrapolations suggest this “eddy subduction pump” could export as […]
Read MoreThe Southern Ocean is one of the most important regions for absorbing anthropogenic CO₂, and it is one of the most challenging places to observe, until Biogeochemical (BGC) Argo floats began to monitor this remote region year-round. Yet, CO₂ uptake estimates based on float data have suggested a much weaker uptake Southern Ocean than estimates […]
Read MoreWhat happens when marine snow and oil mix?
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April-July 2010) in the NE Gulf of Mexico provided researchers with an opportunity to explore what happens when marine snow and oil mix. Marine snow are detrital particles or aggregates consisting of inorganic and organic components, such as bacteria, phytoplankton cells, zooplankton fecal pellets, and mucous feeding webs, and are […]
Read MoreWhat drives the year-to-year variability of dissolved oxygen (O2) in the tropical Pacific? A recent study explored this question using a global high-resolution model with active ocean biogeochemistry along with a machine learning based estimate of dissolved oxygen from Argo floats. El Niño and La Niña events play a major role in regulating the O2 […]
Read More


