Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls
International audience The remineralization depth of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes exported from the surface ocean exerts a major control over atmospheric CO₂ levels. According to a long‐held paradigm most of the POC exported to depth is associated with large particles. However, recent lin...
Published in: | Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
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Language: | English |
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986/document https://hal.science/hal-03112986/file/2017GB005638.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005638 |
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ftceafr:oai:HAL:hal-03112986v1 2024-09-15T18:37:03+00:00 Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls Baker, Chelsey Henson, Stephanie Cavan, Emma Giering, Sarah Yool, Andrew Gehlen, Marion Belcher, Anna Riley, Jennifer Smith, Helen Sanders, Richard National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOC) University of Southampton Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE) Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) Modelling the Earth Response to Multiple Anthropogenic Interactions and Dynamics (MERMAID) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) 2017 https://hal.science/hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986/document https://hal.science/hal-03112986/file/2017GB005638.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005638 en eng HAL CCSD American Geophysical Union info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/2017GB005638 hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986/document https://hal.science/hal-03112986/file/2017GB005638.pdf doi:10.1002/2017GB005638 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 0886-6236 EISSN: 1944-8224 Global Biogeochemical Cycles https://hal.science/hal-03112986 Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2017, 31 (7), pp.1051-1065. ⟨10.1002/2017GB005638⟩ [SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2017 ftceafr https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005638 2024-07-22T13:16:39Z International audience The remineralization depth of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes exported from the surface ocean exerts a major control over atmospheric CO₂ levels. According to a long‐held paradigm most of the POC exported to depth is associated with large particles. However, recent lines of evidence suggest that slow‐sinking POC (SSPOC) may be an important contributor to this flux. Here we assess the circumstances under which this occurs. Our study uses samples collected using the Marine Snow Catcher throughout the Atlantic Ocean, from high latitudes to midlatitudes. We find median SSPOC concentrations of 5.5 μg L−1, 13 times smaller than suspended POC concentrations and 75 times higher than median fast‐sinking POC (FSPOC) concentrations (0.07 μg L−1). Export fluxes of SSPOC generally exceed FSPOC flux, with the exception being during a spring bloom sampled in the Southern Ocean. In the Southern Ocean SSPOC fluxes often increase with depth relative to FSPOC flux, likely due to midwater fragmentation of FSPOC, a process which may contribute to shallow mineralization of POC and hence to reduced carbon storage. Biogeochemical models do not generally reproduce this behavior, meaning that they likely overestimate long‐term ocean carbon storage. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean HAL-CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) Global Biogeochemical Cycles 31 7 1051 1065 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
HAL-CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) |
op_collection_id |
ftceafr |
language |
English |
topic |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere |
spellingShingle |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere Baker, Chelsey Henson, Stephanie Cavan, Emma Giering, Sarah Yool, Andrew Gehlen, Marion Belcher, Anna Riley, Jennifer Smith, Helen Sanders, Richard Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
topic_facet |
[SDU.OCEAN]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Ocean Atmosphere |
description |
International audience The remineralization depth of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes exported from the surface ocean exerts a major control over atmospheric CO₂ levels. According to a long‐held paradigm most of the POC exported to depth is associated with large particles. However, recent lines of evidence suggest that slow‐sinking POC (SSPOC) may be an important contributor to this flux. Here we assess the circumstances under which this occurs. Our study uses samples collected using the Marine Snow Catcher throughout the Atlantic Ocean, from high latitudes to midlatitudes. We find median SSPOC concentrations of 5.5 μg L−1, 13 times smaller than suspended POC concentrations and 75 times higher than median fast‐sinking POC (FSPOC) concentrations (0.07 μg L−1). Export fluxes of SSPOC generally exceed FSPOC flux, with the exception being during a spring bloom sampled in the Southern Ocean. In the Southern Ocean SSPOC fluxes often increase with depth relative to FSPOC flux, likely due to midwater fragmentation of FSPOC, a process which may contribute to shallow mineralization of POC and hence to reduced carbon storage. Biogeochemical models do not generally reproduce this behavior, meaning that they likely overestimate long‐term ocean carbon storage. |
author2 |
National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOC) University of Southampton Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE) Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) Modelling the Earth Response to Multiple Anthropogenic Interactions and Dynamics (MERMAID) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Baker, Chelsey Henson, Stephanie Cavan, Emma Giering, Sarah Yool, Andrew Gehlen, Marion Belcher, Anna Riley, Jennifer Smith, Helen Sanders, Richard |
author_facet |
Baker, Chelsey Henson, Stephanie Cavan, Emma Giering, Sarah Yool, Andrew Gehlen, Marion Belcher, Anna Riley, Jennifer Smith, Helen Sanders, Richard |
author_sort |
Baker, Chelsey |
title |
Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
title_short |
Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
title_full |
Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
title_fullStr |
Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
title_full_unstemmed |
Slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the Atlantic Ocean: Magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
title_sort |
slow-sinking particulate organic carbon in the atlantic ocean: magnitude, flux, and potential controls |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986/document https://hal.science/hal-03112986/file/2017GB005638.pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005638 |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_source |
ISSN: 0886-6236 EISSN: 1944-8224 Global Biogeochemical Cycles https://hal.science/hal-03112986 Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 2017, 31 (7), pp.1051-1065. ⟨10.1002/2017GB005638⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1002/2017GB005638 hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986 https://hal.science/hal-03112986/document https://hal.science/hal-03112986/file/2017GB005638.pdf doi:10.1002/2017GB005638 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GB005638 |
container_title |
Global Biogeochemical Cycles |
container_volume |
31 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
1051 |
op_container_end_page |
1065 |
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1810481364138459136 |