Ocean's 'Twilight Zone' May Be a Key to Understanding Climate Change

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Particles sinking from sunlit surface waters through the oceans dimly lit twilight zone are swept sideways by currents. The Twilight Zone Explorer follows along. Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
Particles sinking from sunlit surface waters through the ocean's dimly lit twilight zone are swept sideways by currents. The Twilight Zone Explorer follows along. Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

A major study sheds new light on the role of carbon dioxide once it's transported to the oceans' depths. The research indicates that instead of sinking, carbon dioxide is often consumed by animals and bacteria and recycled in the "twilight zone," a dimly lit area 100 to 1,000 meters below the surface. Because the carbon often never reaches the deep ocean, where it can be stored and prevented from re-entering the atmosphere as a green-house gas, the oceans may have little impact on changes in the atmosphere or climate.


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