Biological pump

The biological pump is the way in which ocean life brings carbon dioxide down to the deep ocean and stores it away. Plants and animals in the ocean absorb carbon dioxide--a gas that is bad for the Earth's climate--from the atmosphere. As they live and grow, they use the carbon dioxide to make energy and produce carbon-rich waste products. These waste products are made of lead, iron, silicon, and other minerals. They sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking the carbon dioxide with them. In this way, the ocean is able to act as a pump, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere down to the depths below.