{
  "abstract": "Macroalgae secrete complex carbohydrate polymers, their extracellular matrix, as protection against microbial degradation. By resisting breakdown, these carbohydrates can contribute to marine carbon sequestration, though mechanisms, extent, and timescales remain unknown. Using ship-based sampling and experiments, we found that brown macroalgae release 1.7-4.2% of carbon fixation as fucoidan, equivalent to 0.32-0.88 mg fucoidan per gram of dry seaweed tissue per day.\n\nA Bayesian model trained on our empirical data, coupled with Monte Carlo simulations suggests an annual global release of 13-37 megatons fucoidan carbon. Moreover, degradation resistance combined with surface-activity enabled fucoidan to act as glue that cross-linked allochthonous organic carbon including microbes and proteins into marine snow. Notably, substantial fucoidan exudation was universally conserved across all tested species and regions. Thus, any brown macroalgal species can be used e.g. via aquafarming to enhance the formation of marine snow.\n\nMainRemnants of a molecular arms race in the sunlit ocean bury carbon for centuries in the ocean floor 1 . This arms race starts with diverse photosynthetic algae, which collectively fix about 45 gigatons",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 25,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Inga Hellige"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hagen Buck-Wiese"
    },
    {
      "name": "Margot Bligh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Timothy Thomson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lydia White"
    },
    {
      "name": "Carol Arnosti"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dariya Baiko"
    },
    {
      "name": "Linda Biehler"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mar Fernández-Méndez"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sherif Ghobrial"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bowei Gu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Camilla Gustafsson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mohammed Kajee"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Chad Lloyd"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nguyen Nguyen"
    },
    {
      "name": "Miriam Philippi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dan Potin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Philippe Potin"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mark Rothman"
    },
    {
      "name": "Beatriz Murillo"
    },
    {
      "name": "Michael Seidel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Catharina Uth"
    },
    {
      "name": "Evie Wieters"
    },
    {
      "name": "Marie Magnusson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jan-Hendrik Hehemann"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2f5gkxgzd3kj4.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.07.10.737761",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "2f5gkxgzd3kj4",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05769978v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sde"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdv"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1910|Marine and coastal ecosystems"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7168178673",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05769978/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-07-13",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2f5gkxgzd3kj4.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05769978",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05769978v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:0.sdv",
      "subfield": "general"
    },
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "hal:0.sde",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Macroalgal fucoidan can activate the biological carbon pump",
  "title_text": "Macroalgal fucoidan can activate the biological carbon pump",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:43Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/2f5gkxgzd3kj4",
  "venue": "HAL",
  "versions": []
}