Stickier clumps of marine snow can carry more than six times as much carbon into the deep ocean as thinner particles, according to a Science paper summarized by ScienceDaily from University of California San Diego materials¹.

Marine snow is sinking debris of waste, dead organisms and mucus. ScienceDaily said researchers estimate it removes more than 10 gigatons of carbon from surface waters each year, while only about 2 gigatons reach depths where carbon can stay stored for centuries or longer¹.

Bryce G. Inman, Stuart Humphries and Farooq Azam of Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Lincoln reported that particle viscosity affects how quickly bacteria break the material apart¹. ScienceDaily said bacteria colonize less viscous surface regions first and that stickier interiors resist degradation longer in laboratory experiments, with computer simulations suggesting those particles sink farther before fragmenting¹.

The imaging method, combining 3D confocal microscopy with fluorescent molecules, was described in a companion Nature Communications paper¹. Inman said bacteria can latch onto less viscous portions of a particle but cannot reach more viscous regions until they break it down¹.

The six-times carbon figure is an estimate from those lab observations and simulations, not a new global field census. ScienceDaily did not report independent commentary or in-ocean tests of the multiplier¹. The Science article is dated Oct. 8, 2026; ScienceDaily posted the university summary on Nov. 8¹.

Sources

1. ScienceDailyHidden climate superpower: Why some ocean “snow” carries six times more carbon8:14 PM

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