Marine Microbes in Carbon Sequestration and Climate Mitigation

Marine microorganisms play a central role in global carbon cycling and represent a critical component of Earth's natural climate regulation system. Through processes such as the biological carbon pump, microbial carbon pump, and carbonate cycling, marine microbes contribute significantly to the sequestration and long-term storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂). Recent advances in molecular biology, metagenomics, meta transcriptomics, and other multi-omics approaches have greatly expanded our understanding of marine microbial diversity and their functional roles in carbon transformation and storage. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the mechanisms through which marine microorganisms influence carbon sequestration, highlights key microbial taxa involved in these processes, and evaluates emerging methodological approaches for their identification and characterization. Particular emphasis is placed on the potential contribution of microbial processes to climate change mitigation, as well as the ecological, technical, and governance challenges associated with their manipulation. Furthermore, current knowledge gaps and future research priorities are discussed. Understanding microbial-mediated carbon sequestration is essential for improving predictions of future climate dynamics and for developing sustainable carbon management strategies.