Recalcitrant dissolved organic matter is now known to be a key element in the global carbon cycle. Here, Nianzhi Jiao and colleagues set out the role of ocean-dwelling microorganisms in the generation of this pool of long-lived carbon, using a new concept they call the microbial carbon pump.
- Nianzhi Jiao
- Gerhard J. Herndl
- Farooq Azam