Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths
The concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is sensitive to changes in the depth at which sinking particulate organic matter is remineralized: often described as a change in the exponent “ b ” of the Martin curve. Sediment trap observations from deep and intermediate depths suggest there is a spatia...
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Online Access: | https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/1/2019_Wilson_Remineralization_Biogeosci.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2923-2019 |
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ftopenunivgb:oai:oro.open.ac.uk:62703 2023-06-11T04:15:00+02:00 Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths Wilson, Jamie Barker, Stephen Edwards, Neil Holden, Philip Ridgwell, Andy 2019-07-31 application/pdf https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/1/2019_Wilson_Remineralization_Biogeosci.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2923-2019 unknown https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/1/2019_Wilson_Remineralization_Biogeosci.pdf Wilson, Jamie; Barker, Stephen; Edwards, Neil <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/nre29.html>; Holden, Philip <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/pbh56.html> and Ridgwell, Andy (2019). Sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths. Biogeosciences, 16(14) pp. 2923–2936. Journal Item Public PeerReviewed 2019 ftopenunivgb https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2923-2019 2023-05-28T06:00:25Z The concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is sensitive to changes in the depth at which sinking particulate organic matter is remineralized: often described as a change in the exponent “ b ” of the Martin curve. Sediment trap observations from deep and intermediate depths suggest there is a spatially heterogeneous pattern of b , particularly varying with latitude, but disagree over the exact spatial patterns. Here we use a biogeochemical model of the phosphorus cycle coupled with a steady-state representation of ocean circulation to explore the sensitivity of preformed phosphate and atmospheric CO 2 to spatial variability in remineralization depths. A Latin hypercube sampling method is used to simultaneously vary the Martin curve independently within 15 different regions, as a basis for a regression-based analysis used to derive a quantitative measure of sensitivity. Approximately 30 % of the sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to changes in remineralization depths is driven by changes in the subantarctic region (36 to 60∘ S) similar in magnitude to the Pacific basin despite the much smaller area and lower export production. Overall, the absolute magnitude of sensitivity is controlled by export production, but the relative spatial patterns in sensitivity are predominantly constrained by ocean circulation pathways. The high sensitivity in the subantarctic regions is driven by a combination of high export production and the high connectivity of these regions to regions important for the export of preformed nutrients such as the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic. Overall, regionally varying remineralization depths contribute to variability in CO 2 of between around 5 and 15 ppm, relative to a global mean change in remineralization depth. Future changes in the environmental and ecological drivers of remineralization, such as temperature and ocean acidification, are expected to be most significant in the high latitudes where CO 2 sensitivity to remineralization is also highest. The importance of ocean circulation ... Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Ocean acidification Southern Ocean The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) Pacific Southern Ocean Biogeosciences 16 14 2923 2936 |
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Open Polar |
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The Open University: Open Research Online (ORO) |
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ftopenunivgb |
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unknown |
description |
The concentration of CO 2 in the atmosphere is sensitive to changes in the depth at which sinking particulate organic matter is remineralized: often described as a change in the exponent “ b ” of the Martin curve. Sediment trap observations from deep and intermediate depths suggest there is a spatially heterogeneous pattern of b , particularly varying with latitude, but disagree over the exact spatial patterns. Here we use a biogeochemical model of the phosphorus cycle coupled with a steady-state representation of ocean circulation to explore the sensitivity of preformed phosphate and atmospheric CO 2 to spatial variability in remineralization depths. A Latin hypercube sampling method is used to simultaneously vary the Martin curve independently within 15 different regions, as a basis for a regression-based analysis used to derive a quantitative measure of sensitivity. Approximately 30 % of the sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to changes in remineralization depths is driven by changes in the subantarctic region (36 to 60∘ S) similar in magnitude to the Pacific basin despite the much smaller area and lower export production. Overall, the absolute magnitude of sensitivity is controlled by export production, but the relative spatial patterns in sensitivity are predominantly constrained by ocean circulation pathways. The high sensitivity in the subantarctic regions is driven by a combination of high export production and the high connectivity of these regions to regions important for the export of preformed nutrients such as the Southern Ocean and North Atlantic. Overall, regionally varying remineralization depths contribute to variability in CO 2 of between around 5 and 15 ppm, relative to a global mean change in remineralization depth. Future changes in the environmental and ecological drivers of remineralization, such as temperature and ocean acidification, are expected to be most significant in the high latitudes where CO 2 sensitivity to remineralization is also highest. The importance of ocean circulation ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wilson, Jamie Barker, Stephen Edwards, Neil Holden, Philip Ridgwell, Andy |
spellingShingle |
Wilson, Jamie Barker, Stephen Edwards, Neil Holden, Philip Ridgwell, Andy Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
author_facet |
Wilson, Jamie Barker, Stephen Edwards, Neil Holden, Philip Ridgwell, Andy |
author_sort |
Wilson, Jamie |
title |
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
title_short |
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
title_full |
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
title_fullStr |
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sensitivity of atmospheric CO 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
title_sort |
sensitivity of atmospheric co 2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/ https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/1/2019_Wilson_Remineralization_Biogeosci.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2923-2019 |
geographic |
Pacific Southern Ocean |
geographic_facet |
Pacific Southern Ocean |
genre |
North Atlantic Ocean acidification Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic Ocean acidification Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://oro.open.ac.uk/62703/1/2019_Wilson_Remineralization_Biogeosci.pdf Wilson, Jamie; Barker, Stephen; Edwards, Neil <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/nre29.html>; Holden, Philip <http://oro.open.ac.uk/view/person/pbh56.html> and Ridgwell, Andy (2019). Sensitivity of atmospheric CO2 to regional variability in particulate organic matter remineralization depths. Biogeosciences, 16(14) pp. 2923–2936. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2923-2019 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
2923 |
op_container_end_page |
2936 |
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1768371445261402112 |