Dissolved Organic Matter in the Global Ocean: A Primer

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) holds similar to 660 billion metric tons of carbon, making it one of Earth's major carbon reservoirs that is exchangeable with the atmosphere on annual to millennial time scales. The global ocean scale dynamics of the pool have become better illuminated over the past few decades, and those are very briefly described here. What is still far from understood is the dynamical control on this pool at the molecular level; in the case of this Special Issue, the role of microgels is poorly known. This manuscript provides the global context of a large pool of marine DOM upon which those missing insights can be built.

Automated summary

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) holds approximately 660 billion metric tons of carbon, serving as a major carbon reservoir exchangeable with the atmosphere. While the global dynamics of this pool have been better understood in recent decades, the molecular-level control and the role of microgels in this system remain poorly known. This manuscript provides a global context for further insights into this large pool of marine DOM.