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Tiny organisms have huge effect on world’s atmosphere
University of East Anglia UK ^ | May 16, 2016 | University of East Anglia UK

Posted on 05/17/2016 3:02:37 PM PDT by Reeses

Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered how a tiny yet abundant ocean organism helps regulate the Earth’s climate.

Research published today in Nature Microbiology reveals how a bacterial group called ‘Pelagibacterales’ plays an important function in keeping the Earth’s atmosphere stable.

The project was led by Prof Steve Giovannoni and Dr Jing Sun at Oregon State University, in collaboration with researchers from UEA among others.

They showed that these tiny, hugely abundant bacteria could make the environmentally important gas, dimethyl sulfide. Researchers at UEA identified and characterised the gene that is responsible for this property.

Dr Jonathan Todd from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences said: “These types of ocean bacteria are among the most abundant organisms on Earth - comprising up to half a million microbial cells found in every teaspoon of seawater.

“We studied it at a molecular genetic level to discover exactly how it generates a gas called dimethylsulfide (DMS), which is known for stimulating cloud formation.

“Our research shows how a compound called dimethylsulfoniopropionate that is made in large amounts by marine plankton is then broken down into DMS by these tiny ocean organisms called Pelagibacterales.

“The resultant DMS gas may then have a role in regulating the climate by increasing cloud droplets that in turn reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the ocean’s surface.”

Dr Emily Fowler from UEA’s School of Biological Sciences worked on the characterisation of the Pelagibacterales DMS generating enzymes as part of her successful PhD at UEA. She said: “Excitingly, the way Pelagibacterales generates DMS is via a previously unknown enzyme, and we have found that the same enzyme is present in other hugely abundant marine bacterial species. This likely means we have been vastly underestimating the microbial contribution to the production of this important gas.”

Dr Temperton from Exeter University added: “This work shows that the Pelagibacterales are likely an important component in climate stability. If we are going to improve models of how DMS impacts climate, we need to consider this organism as a major contributor.

“What’s fascinating is the elegance and simplicity of DMS production in the Pelagibacterales. These organisms don’t have the genetic regulatory mechanisms found in most bacteria. Having evolved in nutrient-limited oceans, they have some of the smallest genomes of all free-living organisms, because small genomes take fewer resources to replicate.”

‘The abundant marine bacterium Pelagibacter simultaneously catabolizes dimethylsulfonio propionate to the gases dimethyl sulphide and methanethiol’ is published in the journal Nature Microbiology on Monday, May 15, 2016.



TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: catastrophism; climate; epa; globalwarminghoax; godsgravesglyphs; pelagibacterales; popefrancis; romancatholicism
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Megatons of living fossil organisms regulate cloud cover to their liking. As the environment changes, winners and losers work in competition to stabilize Earth's living space, enabling more complex life forms to survive millions of years.
1 posted on 05/17/2016 3:02:37 PM PDT by Reeses
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To: Reeses

Kill Microfauna!


2 posted on 05/17/2016 3:03:22 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (Crump or Lose 2016)
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To: Reeses

Its the fracking!


3 posted on 05/17/2016 3:03:36 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (Fear is the mind killer.)
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To: Sirius Lee

Hey, be carefull there guy, you’re playing with fire.


4 posted on 05/17/2016 3:05:49 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: Sirius Lee

That’s a micro agression right there.


5 posted on 05/17/2016 3:14:17 PM PDT by Idaho_Cowboy (Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception. - George Orwell)
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To: Reeses

So, have the biological activity of these Pelagibacterales been incorporated into the Climate Models?


6 posted on 05/17/2016 3:14:26 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: Fungi
The damned cyanobacteria ruined it for anaerobic life. Selfish, greedy, fat, capitalist, SUV driving cyanobacteria.

Climate change needs to end. Any which contributes to a temperature which deviates from the officially recorded temperature at noon on June 3rd, 1854 at the Meteorological Office in England must be destroyed. This includes Christianity, all white males, the NRA, small farmers, and people who collect rain water in barrels on their property.

7 posted on 05/17/2016 3:18:23 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (Crump or Lose 2016)
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To: Reeses

AlGore is a tiny organism.


8 posted on 05/17/2016 3:18:42 PM PDT by Mark (Obama Care is now DEMOCRAT CARE)
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To: 75thOVI; Abathar; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; ...
Thanks Reeses.

9 posted on 05/17/2016 3:21:32 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (I'll tell you what's wrong with society -- no one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore.)
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To: Idaho_Cowboy
That’s a micro agression right there.

I am an antibioticist and proud of it.

10 posted on 05/17/2016 3:21:32 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (Crump or Lose 2016)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; decimon; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; ...
Thanks Reeses.

11 posted on 05/17/2016 3:21:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (I'll tell you what's wrong with society -- no one drinks from the skulls of their enemies anymore.)
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To: Yo-Yo
So, have the biological activity of these Pelagibacterales been incorporated into the Climate Models?

No, and you can tell by the s suffix on the word model. If there was a model that actually worked we would only need one.

12 posted on 05/17/2016 3:24:13 PM PDT by Reeses (A journey of a thousand miles begins with a government pat down.)
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To: Reeses

I thought that said “tiny orgasms.”


13 posted on 05/17/2016 3:24:54 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: Reeses

I thought it was all controlled by an inert gas that exists in minor concentrations!?


14 posted on 05/17/2016 3:26:59 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: Reeses


15 posted on 05/17/2016 3:31:33 PM PDT by GraceG (Only a fool works hard in an environment where hard work is not appreciated...)
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To: Reeses

Isn’t this out of the same university that falsified the global warming data?


16 posted on 05/17/2016 3:34:12 PM PDT by 762X51
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To: GraceG

Send in the whales!


17 posted on 05/17/2016 3:34:57 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
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To: Reeses

East Anglia? Izat like the New York Times, or have they cleaned up their scientific act.


18 posted on 05/17/2016 3:39:23 PM PDT by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: Reeses

That university descredited itself by having the dubious honor of changing climate data to meet the climate change con and even more stupid, documenting it via emails.

Read their pubs with the same doubts as one would read the Guardian.


19 posted on 05/17/2016 3:42:34 PM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Reeses

OrgaNISMS...lol...read that wrong the first time...


20 posted on 05/17/2016 3:53:05 PM PDT by dware (I don't care what bathroom they use, as long as it's in the nuthouse, where they belong)
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