Sticky marine snow transports six times more carbon to deep ocean

Gooey particles resist bacterial breakdown

Scientists found that the adhesive quality of marine snow beneath the waves significantly influences how carbon moves through the ocean. Particles with a smoother texture withstand bacterial decay while moving over six times the amount of carbon down into deep waters. This finding reveals an unexpected connection between ocean slime and Earth's climate systems. The study shows viscosity influences how quickly bacteria break apart sinking material.

Estimates show limited deep storage

Researchers calculate that oceanic snow extracts over 10 gigatons of carbon annually from surface waters worldwide. However, merely two gigatons arrive at depths allowing the carbon to stay stored for centuries or millennia. Researchers identified a surprisingly important factor regarding how sticky the marine snow is during its descent. Their findings were published October 8 in the journal Science by the Scripps Institution team.

Four-year quest to see inside

The project began in 2021 when Bryce Inman set out to explore what he calls the muscoscape. Prior to this research, watching single bacteria engage with the mucus physical structure was not achievable. Together with colleagues including Farooq Azam, Inman spent four years trying to overcome that limitation successfully. Their solution combined 3D confocal microscopy techniques developed in 2025 after multiple unsuccessful attempts.