Studying a Globally Important Environment | Microbes in Oxygen Minimum Zones - Week 2

Oxygen Minimum Zones, or OMZs, play an integral role in our Ocean - affecting the distribution of organisms and changing carbon and oxygen cycles. Yet, studying an oxygen-deprived environment without contaminating samples is problematic. It is almost impossible to bring samples from the Ocean and through our oxygen-rich atmosphere to a lab for examination as they are easily contaminated. During the #OxygenMinimumMicrobe expedition, an international team of scientists has been testing technologies for conducting in situ observations of OMZs and the microbes living in and around these globally important environments. Data collected during this expedition will help create better regional models to predict what will happen to OMZs as the climate changes. Learn more about this expedition: schmidtocean.org/cruise/micro...