Geophysical Research Letters · 29 August 2026 · From issue 29
Bonded Water Is an Integral Component of Dissolved Organic Matter in the Ocean
Ocean carbon material holds locked-in water that keeps it from breaking down easily.
Kaijun Lu, Xiao You et al.
Ocean water holds a huge amount of dissolved carbon material. This material helps control Earth's carbon cycle. A heavy type of this material contains about 10% water locked tightly inside it. Mild heating removed this locked water and made the material easier for tiny ocean organisms to break down.
The share of locked-in water found inside heavy ocean carbon material.
Lab samples only, not tested in the open ocean yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 31 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Geophysical Research Letters). Read the source
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