Animal urine affects the chemical composition of seawater

(The biggest migration on the planet is the migration of small animals from the surface of the ocean, where they eat plants under sheltered shelters, to the Deep bottoms have no light where they hide from enemies throughout the day.

University of Washington researchers have found that this common migration helps shape our oceans. During the daytime hours below the sea surface animals emit ammonium, like human urine , urine of these animals plays an important role with the chemical properties of seawater , especially at areas with low oxygen levels . The research results have been presented online on the open access Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"I was fascinated by such huge migrations," said study author Daniele Bianchi, a researcher at the Oceanography School of the University of Washington (UW) . interesting to think about the effects of large-scale animal behavior in the ocean ".

Maybe we do not think that discharging urine into the oceans could have an effect. But these small animals - including zooplankton, crustaceans like mollusks, and fish like fish lanternfish (small marine fish with light dots on their bodies) are only a few inches long - in return for their size. small animals are extremely rich throughout the oceans.

After a dinner party near the surface of the sea, these little creatures take a couple of hours to dive about 650 to 2000 feet (about 200 to 600m). Solid waste falls into pellets. Urine spreads gradually.

In the study, Bianchi discovered that it was surprising that these animals spent most of their days in low oxygen waters. Marine bacteria consume oxygen when they decompose dead matter sinking, creating areas of oxygen that are hundreds of feet below the ocean surface.

"These animals seem to stop in areas with low oxygen, this is quite confusing , " Bianchi said. There are some speculations, possibly low oxygen areas that protect small organisms from larger predators. Previous research has also demonstrated that animals actually contribute to areas of low oxygen levels by using a small amount of residual oxygen to breathe.

The researchers then wondered about their other body functions.

In this new study, the authors exploited data from studies using underwater ultrasound to calculate how many animals are moving in deep and in what waters. Next, they measured the combined effects of digestion of these animals during the day.

The results show that in some areas of the sea, ammonium released from animals plays an important role in free oxygen exchange of ammonium and other molecules into nitrogen gas, a chemical transformation process important.

"We still think that bacteria do most of the work, but the effects of animals are enough to change the rate of these reactions and may help explain some of the measurement results , " Bianchi to speak.

Inside the low oxygen areas, scientists are still unclear how bacteria can still turn so much ammonium into two nitrogen atoms, like nitrogen in the air, but this animal and Plants cannot be used. These transformations are important because it determines how much nitrogen fertilizer remains to nourish life in the oceans.

Often scientists model areas with low oxygen levels by using factors such as ocean currents, weather, and bacterial growth. In the new research paper, Bianchi said that it is more difficult for the animals to dive down to model, but their activity plays an important role in the chemical properties of sea.

Areas with low oxygen levels of the ocean are expected to spread due to the effects of climate change, when warm waters hold less oxygen and reduce the amount of oxygen below the surface. Understanding these areas is important to be able to predict what will happen to the oceans due to climate change.

The research was funded by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the US National Science Foundation. The co-authors of the study are Andrew Babbin at Princeton University and Eric Galbraith at McGill University in Canada.