Fig. 2.

Significant advances that have occurred independently in three fields—microbial ecology, geochemistry, and informatics—have positioned oceanographers for a deeper understanding of the ocean's carbon cycle. The integration of these three fields is yielding insights into the reactions at the foundation of the global carbon cycle. BLAST, basic local alignment search tool; FT-ICRMS, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry; GC-IRMS, gas chromatography isotope ratio mass spectrometry; GC-MS, gas chromatography mass spectrometry; LC-MS, liquid chromatography mass spectrometry; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.