Factors controlling coccolithophore biogeography in the Southern Ocean ...
The biogeography of Southern Ocean phytoplankton controls not only the local biogeochemistry, but also the export of macronutrients to lower latitudes and depth. Of particular relevance is the interaction between coccolithophores and diatoms, with the former being prevalent along the "Great Cal...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
ETH Zurich
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000304764 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/304764 |
| Summary: | The biogeography of Southern Ocean phytoplankton controls not only the local biogeochemistry, but also the export of macronutrients to lower latitudes and depth. Of particular relevance is the interaction between coccolithophores and diatoms, with the former being prevalent along the "Great Calcite Belt" (40–60°S), while diatoms tend to dominate the regions south of 60°S. To address the factors controlling coccolithophore distribution and the competition between them and diatoms, we use a regional high-resolution model (ROMS-BEC) for the Southern Ocean (24–78°S) that has been extended to include an explicit representation of coccolithophores. We assess the relative importance of bottom-up (temperature, nutrients, light) and top-down (grazing by zooplankton) factors in controlling Southern Ocean coccolithophore biogeography over the course of the growing season. In our simulations, coccolithophores are an important member of the Southern Ocean phytoplankton community, contributing 15% to annually integrated ... : Biogeosciences Discussions ... |
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