Guest Interview: Nutrient cycling in the hadal trenches (6 to 11 km) and the crucial role they play in global element cycling. Professor Ronnie N. Glud, a leading biochemist and Director of the Danish Centre for Hadal Research (HADAL) talks us through how the trenches, once thought to be barren, are actually "dynamic deep-sea hotspots with intensified microbial activity and diversity". Learn about:
- How hadal trenches act as "depocenters" for organic material, leading to microbial activity that's 2 to 6 times higher than in adjacent abyssal sites.
- The surprising diversity of microbial "generalists" that easily adapt to the immense pressure and low temperatures, aided by viruses that facilitate "horizontal gene transfer".
- The return of full anaerobic diagenetic processes (like sulphate reduction and anammox) in trench sediments, making them significant sinks for fixed nitrogen.
- The role of marine snow and seismic activity in efficiently transporting organic matter and, surprisingly, pollutants like PCBs and heavy metals to these remote depths.
- Why these trenches are not isolated environments but are highly connected to surface ocean processes, even responding to climate-driven changes in primary production.
We also have a surprise blobfish guest!
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Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!
Find out more Social media
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Twitter: @DeepSeaPod
Instagram: @deepsea_podcast
Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:Alan - @Hadalbloke
Thom - @ThomLinley
Instagram:Thom - @thom.linley
Inkfish - @inkfishexpeditions
BlueSky:Thom @thomaslinley.com
Reference list
Flourishing chemosynthetic life at the greatest depths of hadal trenches
Element cycling and microbial life in the hadal realm
Credits
Theme: Hadal Zone Express by Märvel
Logo image: Ronnie N. Glud
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