Deep Carbon Observatory

Deep Carbon Observatory
AbbreviationDCO
Formation2009
PurposeTransforming our understanding of carbon in Earth's interior
Membership
957 scientists from 47 countries (as of January 2017)[1]
Website"deepcarbon.science".

The Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) is a global research program designed to transform understanding of carbon's role in Earth. DCO is a community of scientists, including biologists, physicists, geoscientists and chemists, whose work crosses several traditional disciplinary lines to develop the new, integrative field of deep carbon science. To complement this research, the DCO's infrastructure includes public engagement and education, online and offline community support, innovative data management, and novel instrumentation development.[2]

In December 2018, researchers announced that considerable amounts of life forms, including 70% of bacteria and archea on Earth, comprising up to 23 billion tonnes of carbon, live up to at least 4.8 km (3.0 mi) deep underground, including 2.5 km (1.6 mi) below the seabed, according to a ten-year Deep Carbon Observatory project.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ "People Browser". Deep Carbon Observatory Data Portal. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  2. ^ "About the DCO". Deep Carbon Observatory. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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