Report Seeks to Integrate Microbes into Climate Models

CONTACT:  Jim Sliwa


WASHINGTON, DC – February 14, 2012 -- The models used to understand how Earth’s climate works include thousands of different variables from many scientific including atmospherics, oceanography, seismology, geology, physics and chemistry, but few take into consideration the vast effect that microbes have on climate.  Now, a new report from the American Academy of Microbiology, “Incorporating Microbial Processes into Climate Models”, offers a plan for integrating the latest understanding of the science of microbiology into climate models.








“While the gap between these disciplines is daunting, the need to bridge it is urgent and the science and technology needed to begin to do so is within reach,” says  Harwood.  The report suggests a multipronged approach, breaking the challenge into manageable parts.  The first recommendation is to choose a few specific biogeochemical cycles that are important, microbially driven and tractable to serve as demonstration projects.  Specifically, the report identifies methane, carbon storage and nitrous oxide.  


Other recommendations include:

  • Implement validation processes to integrate data collection, modeling and experimentation
  • Facilitate and provide incentives for collaborations and interdisciplinary training
  • Address technology needs


“There is clear evidence that microbes can have an enormous impact on climate.  In light of  the increasingly urgent need to understand and find ways to mitigate climate change, the centrality of microbes in global biogeochemical cycles, can no longer be ignored,” says DeLong.  



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