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Microbes and methane Concentrations of methane, another greenhouse gas, have been increasing dramatically due to human activity. In fact, methane is even more effective than carbon dioxide in trapping the sun?s heat and warming the Earth’s atmosphere. Human-related sources of methane include landfills, garbage dumps, mining, and oil and gas operations, as well as cattle grazing and rice farming. The oceans should be a large source of methane. Methane has been detected in seafloor sediments, however, methane never seems to leave the water-sediment interface. Scientists assumed that this missing methane was being consumed by microorganisms within the sediment, but no one had been able to positively identify the particular organisms or biochemical processes involved. Recent research has finally identified a key group of microbes that consume methane by reversing the biochemical process used by methane producers. Marine biologists found evidence that methane in ocean sediments was being consumed by tiny single-celled organisms called ‘archaea.’ Unfortunately, scientists have not been able to grow these methane-consuming archaea in the laboratory, so little is known about them. Several scientists, including Dr. Victoria Orphan, have only recently started to characterize and understand this subsurface microbial community that utilizes methane in the deep-sea.
Home | Goals | Summary | Microbes
and Methane | Where
and Why |
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