Black carbon, particulate matter resulting from the incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels, is a strong contributor to global warming. Its role in the climate system (absorbing heat and reducing surface reflectivity) is well known but its impact on the ocean is less understood. Atmospheric deposition of black carbon to the ocean could impact on the microbes of the ocean surface.
Andrea Malits of Sorbonne University and CNRS at the Oceanographic Observatory, Villefranche sur mer, France, and colleagues investigate the effect of black carbon deposition on marine microbial processes. This is achieved by adding a black carbon reference material to a seawater sample with a stable bacterial and viral community.
Black carbon reduced viral production but increased bacterial production. The bacterial increase was thought to be caused by either lower viral infection (which would result in cell breakdown) or the additional carbon available for growth. The growth was further enhanced if the black carbon had been exposed to solar radiation, as it would be during atmospheric transport. These results highlight how increased black carbon emissions could impact on marine microbes, particularly in coastal zones.
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Wake, B. Bacterial boost. Nature Clim Change 5, 621 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2707
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2707
