ABOVE: A colony of cyanobacteria from Lake Stechlin
PROF HANS-PETER GROSSART.
Cyanobacteria are found in almost all aquatic and terrestrial environments on Earth and, through photosynthesis, supply a large portion of the planet’s oxygen. According to a study published in Science Advances today (January 15), they also produce the greenhouse gas methane. As global water temperatures rise, cyanobacterial blooms are predicted to increase—perhaps leading these organisms to not only contribute to global warming but multiply because of it, creating a positive feedback loop.
“This is a very interesting topic that of course goes against what we knew about methane being produced in anoxic environments,” says Daniel McGinnis who studies the biogeochemistry and physics of aquatic systems at the University of Geneva and was not involved in the research. “I think the authors did a really fine job isolating [methane production] to the cyanobacteria, and that has some interesting links to climate ...
