Mud 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 patches on the seafloor have formed over thousands of years – helping to locate hidden carbon stores and understand the seafloor’s long-term role in the climate system. This mud is a carbon time capsule.
