Echinoderms' Contribution To Ocean Carbon Sink Underestimated
Friday, January 8, 2010 - 12:14
in Earth & Climate
A group of marine organisms that includes starfish and sea urchin, called Echinoderms, have a significant impact on the levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere and that influence has been greatly underestimated by scientists, argues a new paper in Ecological Monographs. "Climate models must take this carbon sink into account," says Mario Lebrato, lead author of the study. Globally, the seabed habitats occupy more than 300 million million square metres, from the intertidal flats and pools to the mightiest deep-sea trenches at 11,000 meters. The benthos – the animals living on and in the sediments – populate this vast ecosystem. read more