Ocean mud locks up much of the planet’s carbon – we’re digging deep to map these ancient stores

Ocean mud locks up much of the planet’s carbon – we’re digging deep to map these ancient stores

Damsea/ShutterstockMud is messy. For some, it’s a plaything. To many, it can mean real hardship. Mud, though, is often overlooked, particularly when it lies out of sight. Deep down at the bottom of the sea, it is one of the most important natural archives of Earth’s past – holding clues of shifting climates, coastlines, ocean conditions and carbon storage. Our research is the first to use computer models to trace how thick, carbon-rich mud patch…