By collecting water samples up to six kilometres below the surface of the Southern Ocean, UNSW researchers have shown for the first time the impact of ocean currents on the distribution and abundance of marine micro-organisms.
The sampling was the deepest ever undertaken from the Australian icebreaker, RSV Aurora Australis.
Genetic sequencing of the microbial DNA in each sample was carried out to characterise the microbial communities in different water-masses. The research shows that communities that are connected by ocean currents are more similar to each other.
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Read the full, original story here: Southern Ocean sampling reveals travels of marine microbes
