Maximizing sea life's ability to reduce atmospheric carbon may help combat climate change

New research on West Antarctic seabed life reveals that the remote region of the South Orkney Islands is a carbon sink hotspot. The findings suggest that this recently designated (and world's first) entirely high seas marine protected area may be a powerful natural ally in combating rising CO₂ as sea ice melts.

"There has been a cascade of rising atmospheric CO₂ driving warming, reducing sea ice, leading to longer micro-algal blooms—which means longer meal times for animals, which are growing more," said Dr. David Barnes, senior author of the Global Change Biology study. The recently discovered polar seabed carbon gains remove carbon from cycling and represent a key negative feedback working against climate change.

This new science, which was conducted with Darwin Initiative funding, suggests that researchers should investigate whether maximizing natural carbon capture by seabed life could help reduce global CO₂.