New capabilities for measuring organic matter degradation in the deepest oceans on Earth (Hadal sensors)

The aim of this NERC SEEDCORN funded project is to bring together NOC experts with researchers from the newly created centre of excellence for ultra-deep sea research: the Danish Center for Hadal Research (HADAL) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) to jointly improve our knowledge about the processes governing organic carbon degradation in deep-sea trenches.

This hadal zone, with depths of 6,000–11,000m, accounts for nearly half of the ocean’s depth range, but has only recently been recognised as potential hotspot for organic carbon turnover and microbial activity. To understand the carbon mineralisation and the related biogeochemical processes in hadal sediments is of global importance, as carbon recycling in sediments can have critical implications for ocean chemistry, redox conditions, and nutrient availability, impacting life both in the oceans and on land.