While on the aft deck of Falkor (too), Hilary Close (Scientist, Ocean Sciences at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami) examines a sensor, searching for chemical traces that help explain the transformation and transportation of carbon and nitrogen through different depths of the ocean. (Image credit: Bernarda Cornejo Pinto, Schmidt Ocean Institute)

Scientists completed two transformative research expeditions in the Southwest Atlantic Ocean designed to fill major gaps in the understanding of the biological pump—the process by which the Ocean transfers carbon from the surface to the deep sea, which is vital to climate regulation. The cruises, supported by Schmidt Ocean Institute and Schmidt Sciences’ Ocean Biogeochemistry Virtual Institute (OBVI), took place between January and April on board the institute’s research vessel Falkor (too).