Deep-Sea Round-Up

This week there has been a lot of discussion around a new study by Sala et al. (2021), “Protecting the global ocean for biodiversity, food and climate”, in whose conservation planning framework there was considerable focus on prioritising coastal MPAs for protection, while the deep ocean was broadly sidelined. The study was covered in a number of popular articles, some of which picked up on coastal MPAs as a biodiversity and climate solution, while others highlighted that the effects of bottom trawling released the equivalent CO2 as the entire transportation industry. There was also impressive coverage of a paper that hadn’t even been published at the time we went to press “Iron colloids dominate sedimentary supply to the ocean interior” by Homoky et al. (2021) in PNAS, which reveals that, contrary to commonly held opinion, iron is being released from sediments on the deep ocean floor, a process which the articles say provides a vital nutrient input at the base of the oceanic food web.

As ever, there were plenty more papers to pour over in the coming days, plus a number of events for your diary, including our very own: “Climate change in the deep ocean: why does it matter?“. This webinar is designed for a broad audience so whether you’re new to climate change in the deep sea or an expert after some great presentations, we have a fantastic line up – register here.

PLUS a chance to win Helen Scales’ new book “The Brilliant Abyss” – don’t miss out!

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