Organic carbon flux through the benthic community in the temperate abyssal Northeast Atlantic
In order to assess the carbon flux through the deep-sea benthic boundary layer, sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) was measured in different months and years at the BIOTRANS area in the abyssal northeastern Atlantic. SCOC varied seasonally with a maximum in July/August. Evidence is given f...
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Format: | Other/Unknown Material |
Language: | English |
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PANGAEA
1992
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Online Access: | https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.692143 https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.692143 |
Summary: | In order to assess the carbon flux through the deep-sea benthic boundary layer, sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) was measured in different months and years at the BIOTRANS area in the abyssal northeastern Atlantic. SCOC varied seasonally with a maximum in July/August. Evidence is given for a direct coupling between a substantial sedimentation of phytodetritus and the seasonal increase in SCOC. Rapid colonization, growth and decomposition rates indicate that the deep-sea benthic microbial and protozoan biota can react quickly to substantial falls of particulate organic matter. They seem to be the most important groups to generate seasonal changes in deep-sea benthic carbon flux rates. |
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