Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean
The flux of materials to the deep sea is dominated by larger, organic-rich particles with sinking rates varying between a few meters and several hundred meters per day. Mineral ballast may regulate the transfer of organic matter and other components by determining the sinking rates, e.g. via particl...
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2009
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Online Access: | https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/1/bg-6-85-2009.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 |
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ftoceanrep:oai:oceanrep.geomar.de:29713 2023-05-15T18:25:55+02:00 Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean Fischer, G. Karakas, G. 2009 text https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/1/bg-6-85-2009.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 en eng Copernicus Publications (EGU) https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/1/bg-6-85-2009.pdf Fischer, G. and Karakas, G. (2009) Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean. Open Access Biogeosciences, 6 (1). pp. 85-102. DOI 10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 <https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009>. doi:10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 cc_by_3.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Article PeerReviewed 2009 ftoceanrep https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 2023-04-07T15:20:44Z The flux of materials to the deep sea is dominated by larger, organic-rich particles with sinking rates varying between a few meters and several hundred meters per day. Mineral ballast may regulate the transfer of organic matter and other components by determining the sinking rates, e.g. via particle density. We calculated particle sinking rates from mass flux patterns and alkenone measurements applying the results of sediment trap experiments from the Atlantic Ocean. We have indication for higher particle sinking rates in carbonate-dominated production systems when considering both regional and seasonal data. During a summer coccolithophorid bloom in the Cape Blanc coastal upwelling off Mauritania, particle sinking rates reached almost 570 m per day, most probably due the fast sedimentation of densely packed zooplankton fecal pellets, which transport high amounts of organic carbon associated with coccoliths to the deep ocean despite rather low production. During the recurring winter-spring blooms off NW Africa and in opal-rich production systems of the Southern Ocean, sinking rates of larger particles, most probably diatom aggregates, showed a tendency to lower values. However, there is no straightforward relationship between carbonate content and particle sinking rates. This could be due to the unknown composition of carbonate and/or the influence of particle size and shape on sinking rates. It also remains noticeable that the highest sinking rates occurred in dust-rich ocean regions off NW Africa, but this issue deserves further detailed field and laboratory investigations. We obtained increasing sinking rates with depth. By using a seven-compartment biogeochemical model, it was shown that the deep ocean organic carbon flux at a mesotrophic sediment trap site off Cape Blanc can be captured fairly well using seasonal variable particle sinking rates. Our model provides a total organic carbon flux of 0.29 Tg per year down to 3000 m off the NW African upwelling region between 5 and 35° N. Simple parameterisations ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Ocean OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) Southern Ocean Biogeosciences 6 1 85 102 |
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Open Polar |
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OceanRep (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre für Ocean Research Kiel) |
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ftoceanrep |
language |
English |
description |
The flux of materials to the deep sea is dominated by larger, organic-rich particles with sinking rates varying between a few meters and several hundred meters per day. Mineral ballast may regulate the transfer of organic matter and other components by determining the sinking rates, e.g. via particle density. We calculated particle sinking rates from mass flux patterns and alkenone measurements applying the results of sediment trap experiments from the Atlantic Ocean. We have indication for higher particle sinking rates in carbonate-dominated production systems when considering both regional and seasonal data. During a summer coccolithophorid bloom in the Cape Blanc coastal upwelling off Mauritania, particle sinking rates reached almost 570 m per day, most probably due the fast sedimentation of densely packed zooplankton fecal pellets, which transport high amounts of organic carbon associated with coccoliths to the deep ocean despite rather low production. During the recurring winter-spring blooms off NW Africa and in opal-rich production systems of the Southern Ocean, sinking rates of larger particles, most probably diatom aggregates, showed a tendency to lower values. However, there is no straightforward relationship between carbonate content and particle sinking rates. This could be due to the unknown composition of carbonate and/or the influence of particle size and shape on sinking rates. It also remains noticeable that the highest sinking rates occurred in dust-rich ocean regions off NW Africa, but this issue deserves further detailed field and laboratory investigations. We obtained increasing sinking rates with depth. By using a seven-compartment biogeochemical model, it was shown that the deep ocean organic carbon flux at a mesotrophic sediment trap site off Cape Blanc can be captured fairly well using seasonal variable particle sinking rates. Our model provides a total organic carbon flux of 0.29 Tg per year down to 3000 m off the NW African upwelling region between 5 and 35° N. Simple parameterisations ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fischer, G. Karakas, G. |
spellingShingle |
Fischer, G. Karakas, G. Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
author_facet |
Fischer, G. Karakas, G. |
author_sort |
Fischer, G. |
title |
Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
title_short |
Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
title_full |
Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
title_fullStr |
Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
title_sort |
sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the atlantic ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications (EGU) |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/ https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/1/bg-6-85-2009.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 |
geographic |
Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean |
genre |
Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/29713/1/bg-6-85-2009.pdf Fischer, G. and Karakas, G. (2009) Sinking rates and ballast composition of particles in the Atlantic Ocean: implications for the organic carbon fluxes to the deep ocean. Open Access Biogeosciences, 6 (1). pp. 85-102. DOI 10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 <https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009>. doi:10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 |
op_rights |
cc_by_3.0 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-6-85-2009 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
6 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
85 |
op_container_end_page |
102 |
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1766207638770548736 |