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林肯大学于2026年10月15日介绍与加州大学圣地亚哥分校Scripps海洋研究所合作的新研究。10月8日发表于《科学》的论文显示，海洋雪的黏稠度会影响含碳微粒下沉多深、多久才被细菌分解；高粘度颗粒运至深海的碳量估计可比低粘度颗粒高出六倍以上。本文说明主要发现、成像方法及其对碳循环的意义。

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Why does only a small share of ocean carbon sink into the deep sea for a long time? On October 15, 2026, the University of Lincoln highlighted new research with the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The study, published in Science on October 8, shows that the “gooeyness” — or viscosity — of marine snow can decide how far carbon-rich particles travel before bacteria break them down.

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为什么只有一小部分海洋碳能长时间沉入深海？2026年10月15日，林肯大学介绍了与加州大学圣地亚哥分校Scripps海洋研究所合作的新研究。这项10月8日发表于《科学》的研究表明，海洋雪的“黏稠度”——即粘度——可以决定富含碳的微粒在被细菌分解前能下沉多远。

Marine snow is not the white flakes that fall on land. It is made of tiny clumps of organic material near the ocean surface — mucus, dead plankton, silt and other debris — that drift downward like snow. Each year, particles carrying more than 10 billion tonnes of carbon begin that journey. Yet only about one to three billion tonnes reach deep water, where carbon may stay locked away for hundreds or thousands of years. Bacteria degrade much of the rest along the way, and that carbon can return to the air as carbon dioxide.

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海洋雪并不是陆地上落下的白色雪花。它由海面附近的有机物微团构成——黏液、死亡浮游生物、泥沙和其他碎屑——像雪一样持续向下漂移。每年，携带超过100亿吨碳的微粒开始这段旅程。但大约只有10亿到30亿吨能到达深水，碳在那里可能封存数百年乃至数千年。其余大部分沿途被细菌分解，这些碳最终可能以二氧化碳形式回到大气。

Lead researcher Dr Bryce Inman and colleagues found that thicker, more viscous particles resist bacterial attack longer. Using a new microscopy method with fluorescent dyes and three-dimensional maps, they watched how individual bacteria move through the physical structure of each particle. Softer, less viscous regions were easier to colonize; thicker zones acted like a tougher barrier. Inman compared the pattern to a worm in an apple: the flesh is easy to penetrate, but the core is harder to chew.

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首席研究员Bryce Inman博士与同事发现，更厚、更黏的微粒更能长时间抵抗细菌侵蚀。他们用带荧光染料和三维地图的新显微方法，观察单个细菌如何穿过每个微粒的物理结构。较软、粘度较低的区域更容易被定殖；较厚的区域则像更坚硬的屏障。Inman把这种模式比作虫子钻苹果：果肉容易穿透，果心更难啃。

Laboratory tests and computer simulations suggested that high-viscosity marine snow can carry more than six times as much carbon to the deep ocean as less viscous particles. The longer a particle survives, the farther it can sink — and the longer its carbon can remain stored. The co-authors include Professor Stuart Humphries at Lincoln and Farooq Azam, a microbiologist at Scripps.

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实验室测试与计算机模拟表明，高粘度海洋雪运至深海的碳量可比粘度较低的微粒高出六倍以上。微粒存活越久，就能下沉越深——其中封存的碳也能保存更久。合著者包括林肯大学的Stuart Humphries教授，以及Scripps的微生物学家Farooq Azam。

The work also matters beyond climate models. For the first time, the team could see bacteria interacting with mucus-like material at this scale. Similar tiny environments appear in coral reefs, kelp forests, plant roots, and even human airways and digestive systems. The same imaging approach may help scientists study how bacteria behave in those places.

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这项工作的意义也不止于气候模型。研究团队首次能在这一尺度上看到细菌与类黏液物质的相互作用。类似的微小环境也出现在珊瑚礁、海带林、植物根系，乃至人体气道和消化系统中。同一成像方法或许能帮助科学家研究细菌在这些地方如何活动。

Viscosity alone will not fix the climate. Still, the Science paper adds a clear physical reason why some marine snow stores carbon better than others. As Lincoln and Scripps reported in mid-October 2026, a gooier particle is not just a curiosity — it may be a small but powerful part of the ocean carbon pump.

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单靠粘度并不能解决气候问题。不过，《科学》论文补充了一个清晰的物理原因，说明为何有些海洋雪比另一些更能储存碳。正如林肯大学与Scripps在2026年10月中旬所报道的，更黏的微粒不只是新奇现象——它可能是海洋碳泵中虽小却有力的一环。

新闻来源

• University of Lincoln · ‘Gooey’ Marine Snow Could Help Oceans Lock Away Carbon (15 Oct 2026)
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography · The Gooier Marine Snow Is, the Better It Is at Transporting Carbon (9 Oct 2026)
• Science · Marine snow viscosity regulates microbial degradation and the ocean carbon sink (8 Oct 2026)

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