What is Microbial Oceanography?
Microbial Oceanography is the scientific discipline concerned with the biology and ecology of microorganisms that inhabit the sea. Microbes dominate our planet, especially our oceans. The distinguishing feature of microorganisms is their small size, usually defined as less than 100 micrometers (µm); they are all invisible to the naked eye. The similarity may end there. As a group, sea microbes are extremely diverse taxonomically, and extremely versatile with respect to their metabolic capabilities. For example, some marine microorganisms use the energy derived from sunlight to fix (reduce) carbon dioxide into organic matter, while others use organic matter as a carbon and energy source and produce carbon dioxide as a respiration end-product. Still others may use sunlight and organic matter simultaneously or intermittently as their metabolic strategy of survival. More exotic pathways involving the oxidation and reduction of one or more of a variety of inorganic substrates can also occur
