Bottom Feeders Top the List of Carbon Sinks
Jun 13
When mid-level swimming fish like squid and jellyfish make their deep-sea dives after feeding on the surface, they’re often caught and eaten by these bottom dwellers. The carbon present in the systems of these mid-level swimming fish is then contained within the bottom feeders. University of Southampton scientists estimate that these carbon sink fish are neutralizing more than a million tons of carbon dioxide from UK and Irish waters alone.
According to a recent article by Steve Williams on the Environmental News Network, “The researchers investigated this by collecting muscle tissue samples from fish caught in fish trawls off the west coast of Ireland, at varying degrees between 500 and 1,800 meters. To look at how much carbon was present at each stage they searched the muscle samples and looked for carbon and nitrogen isotopes. By doing this, the researchers are able to see how carbon transfers through the ecosystem and thereby determine diet and the predator/prey dynamics of that area.”
Source: http://www.enn.com/health/article/47466
Related Posts
- The Effects of Global Warming in Canada - What Can Canadians Expect in the Coming Decades?
- Top 5 Causes and Effects of Global Warming - Updated Article With Extra Information
- Record-Setting Amounts of Ice Still Covering the Great Lakes
- Is Methane Greenhouse Gas a Culprit behind Global Warming?
- Returning to the Past for Sustainable Cooling