Plankton community respiration in Bransfield Strait (Antarctic Ocean) during austral spring

Community respiration (R) was determined in Bransfield Strait from oxygen changes in water samples incubated in borosilicate bottles maintained at in situ temperature. The respiratory electron transport system (ETS) activity of seawater communities was also measured from the same samples. Both data...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Plankton Research
Main Authors: Arístegui, Javier, Montero, María F.
Other Authors: Aristegui, Javier, Montero, Maria F., 7006816204, 7102553402, 227201, 1878283
Language:English
Published: 1995
Subjects:
2510 Oceanografía
Plankton community respiration
Antarctic ocean
Antarctic
Antarctic Ocean
Arctic
Austral
Bellingshausen Sea
Bransfield Strait
Gerlache
Gerlache Strait
Weddell
Weddell Sea
Antarc*
Phytoplankton
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10553/44236
https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/17.8.1647
Description
Summary:Community respiration (R) was determined in Bransfield Strait from oxygen changes in water samples incubated in borosilicate bottles maintained at in situ temperature. The respiratory electron transport system (ETS) activity of seawater communities was also measured from the same samples. Both data sets were related by the regression equation: log R (mg O2 m−3 day−1)=0.462+0.730×log ETS activity mg O2 m−3 day−1) (r=0.80, n=23). From this equation and 37 ETS activity depth profiles, we calculated the integrated (0–100 m) community respiration as being in the range 1.2–4.5 g O2 m−2 day−1 (mean=2.2). These values do not differ significantly from other published results for the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans. Assuming a respiratory quotient of unity, the areal respiration ranges between 0.45 and 1.69 g C m−2 day−1 (mean=0.8). This would represent an important sink for the primary production reported for Brans Strait. The spatial distribution of community respiration showed higher values associated with the warmer and phytoplankton-rich waters outflowing from Gerlache Strait into Bransfield Strait, and with the front that separates Bellingshausen Sea waters from Weddell Sea waters. We suggest that this pattern of distribution may be related to the transport of organic matter by the Bransfield Current along the front.

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