Global warming, a dead zone and surprising bacteria
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-08/giot-gwa080216.php[font face=Serif][font size=5]Global warming, a dead zone and surprising bacteria[/font]
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7 questions, 7 answers on gas cycles and a new bacteria discovery[/font]
Georgia Institute of Technology
[font size=3]In ocean expanses where oxygen has vanished, newly discovered bacteria are diminishing additional life molecules. They help make virtual dead zones even deader.
Bacteria depleting nitrogen is a natural process in oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), ocean regions that have no detectable O₂. But as climate change progresses, OMZs are ballooning, drawing researchers to study their biochemical processes and possible ramifications for the global environment.
Now, a team led by the Georgia Institute of Technology has discovered members of a highly prolific bacteria group known as SAR11 living in the world's largest oxygen minimum zone. The team has produced unambiguous evidence that the bacteria play a major role in denitrification.
The newly discovered bacteria impact global nutrient supplies and greenhouse gas cycles. Below are some questions and answers that illuminate the discovery and its significance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature19068