Plankton Respiration, Net Community Production and the Organic Carbon Cycle in the Oceanic Water Column

2014 ◽  
pp. 593-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. le B. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Oceanic Water ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Community Production

Biogeochemical and ecological features of sinking particulate matter in the deep Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean) during a 10-year time series study: impacts of atmospheric and oceanographic variabilities on carbon production and sequestration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Gogou ◽  
Constantine Parinos ◽  
Spyros Stavrakakis ◽  
Emmanouil Proestakis ◽  
Maria Kanakidou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Atmospheric Deposition ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Particulate Organic Carbon ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Ecological Features ◽  
The Impact

<p>Biotic and abiotic processes that form, alter, transport, and remineralize particulate organic carbon, silicon, calcium carbonate, and other minor and trace chemical species in the water column are central to the ocean’s ecological and biogeochemical functioning and of fundamental importance to the ocean carbon cycle. Sinking particulate matter is the major vehicle for exporting carbon from the sea surface to the deep sea. During its transit towards the sea floor, most particulate organic carbon (POC) is returned to inorganic form and redistributed in the water column. This redistribution determines the surface concentration of dissolved CO<sub>2</sub>, and hence the rate at which the ocean can absorb CO<sub>2</sub> from the atmosphere. The ability to predict quantitatively the depth profile of remineralization is therefore critical to deciphering the response of the global carbon cycle to natural and human-induced changes.</p><p>Aiming to investigate the significant biogeochemical and ecological features and provide new insights on the sources and cycles of sinking particulate matter, a mooring line of five sediment traps was deployed from 2006 to 2015 (with some gap periods) at 5 successive water column depths (700, 1200, 2000, 3200 and 4300 m) in the SE Ionian Sea, northeastern Mediterranean (‘NESTOR’ site). We have examined the long-term records of downward fluxes for Corg, N<sub>tot</sub>, δ<sup>13</sup>Corg and δ<sup>15</sup>N<sub>tot</sub>, along with the associated ballast minerals (opal, lithogenics and CaCO<sub>3</sub>), lipid biomarkers, Chl-a and PP rates, phytoplankton composition, nutrient dynamics and atmospheric deposition.  </p><p>The satellite-derived seasonal and interannual variability of phytoplankton metrics (biomass and phenology) and atmospheric deposition (meteorology and air masses origin) was examined for the period of the sediment trap experiment. Regarding the atmospheric deposition, synergistic opportunities using Earth Observation satellite lidar and radiometer systems are proposed (e.g. Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization - CALIOP, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer - MODIS), aiming towards a four‐dimensional exploitation of atmospheric aerosol loading (e.g. Dust Optical Depth) in the study area.</p><p>Our main goals are to: i) develop a comprehensive knowledge of carbon fluxes and associated mineral ballast fluxes from the epipelagic to the mesopelagic and bathypelagic layers, ii) elucidate the mechanisms governing marine productivity and carbon export and sequestration to depth and iii) shed light on the impact of atmospheric forcing and deposition in respect to regional and large scale circulation patterns and climate variability and the prevailing oceanographic processes (internal variability).</p><p>Acknowledgments</p><p>We acknowledge support of this work by the Action ‘National Network on Climate Change and its Impacts – <strong>CLIMPACT</strong>’, funded by the Public Investment Program of Greece (GSRT, Ministry of Development and Investments).</p>

scholarly journals Neural network-based estimates of Southern Ocean net community production from in situ O<sub>2</sub> / Ar and satellite observation: a methodological study

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3279-3297 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. Chang ◽  
N. C. Johnson ◽  
N. Cassar
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Community Production

Abstract. Southern Ocean organic carbon export plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet its basin-scale climatology and variability are uncertain due to limited coverage of in situ observations. In this study, a neural network approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) is adopted to construct weekly gridded (1° × 1°) maps of organic carbon export for the Southern Ocean from 1998 to 2009. The SOM is trained with in situ measurements of O2 / Ar-derived net community production (NCP) that are tightly linked to the carbon export in the mixed layer on timescales of one to two weeks and with six potential NCP predictors: photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), particulate organic carbon (POC), chlorophyll (Chl), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and mixed layer depth (MLD). This nonparametric approach is based entirely on the observed statistical relationships between NCP and the predictors and, therefore, is strongly constrained by observations. A thorough cross-validation yields three retained NCP predictors, Chl, PAR, and MLD. Our constructed NCP is further validated by good agreement with previously published, independent in situ derived NCP of weekly or longer temporal resolution through real-time and climatological comparisons at various sampling sites. The resulting November–March NCP climatology reveals a pronounced zonal band of high NCP roughly following the Subtropical Front in the Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific sectors, and turns southeastward shortly after the dateline. Other regions of elevated NCP include the upwelling zones off Chile and Namibia, the Patagonian Shelf, the Antarctic coast, and areas surrounding the Islands of Kerguelen, South Georgia, and Crozet. This basin-scale NCP climatology closely resembles that of the satellite POC field and observed air–sea CO2 flux. The long-term mean area-integrated NCP south of 50° S from our dataset, 17.9 mmol C m−2 d−1, falls within the range of 8.3 to 24 mmol C m−2 d−1 from other model estimates. A broad agreement is found in the basin-wide NCP climatology among various models but with significant spatial variations, particularly in the Patagonian Shelf. Our approach provides a comprehensive view of the Southern Ocean NCP climatology and a potential opportunity to further investigate interannual and intraseasonal variability.

scholarly journals An organic carbon budget for coastal Southern California determined by estimates of vertical nutrient flux, net community production and export

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 ◽  
pp. 49-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Z. Haskell ◽  
Maria G. Prokopenko ◽  
Douglas E. Hammond ◽  
Rachel H.R. Stanley ◽  
William M. Berelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Carbon Budget ◽  
Nutrient Flux ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Community Production

scholarly journals Spring–summer net community production, new production, particle export and related water column biogeochemical processes in the marginal sea ice zone of the Western Antarctic Peninsula 2012–2014

2018 ◽  
Vol 376 (2122) ◽  
pp. 20170177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh W. Ducklow ◽  
Michael R. Stukel ◽  
Rachel Eveleth ◽  
Scott C. Doney ◽  
Tim Jickells ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Western Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
New Production ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Particle Export ◽  
Community Production

New production (New P, the rate of net primary production (NPP) supported by exogenously supplied limiting nutrients) and net community production (NCP, gross primary production not consumed by community respiration) are closely related but mechanistically distinct processes. They set the carbon balance in the upper ocean and define an upper limit for export from the system. The relationships, relative magnitudes and variability of New P (from 15 NO 3 – uptake), O 2  : argon-based NCP and sinking particle export (based on the 238 U :  234 Th disequilibrium) are increasingly well documented but still not clearly understood. This is especially true in remote regions such as polar marginal ice zones. Here we present a 3-year dataset of simultaneous measurements made at approximately 50 stations along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) continental shelf in midsummer (January) 2012–2014. Net seasonal-scale changes in water column inventories (0–150 m) of nitrate and iodide were also estimated at the same stations. The average daily rates based on inventory changes exceeded the shorter-term rate measurements. A major uncertainty in the relative magnitude of the inventory estimates is specifying the start of the growing season following sea-ice retreat. New P and NCP(O 2 ) did not differ significantly. New P and NCP(O 2 ) were significantly greater than sinking particle export from thorium-234. We suggest this is a persistent and systematic imbalance and that other processes such as vertical mixing and advection of suspended particles are important export pathways. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The marine system of the west Antarctic Peninsula: status and strategy for progress in a region of rapid change’.

scholarly journals Net community production of dissolved organic carbon

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis A. Hansell ◽  
Craig A. Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Community Production

scholarly journals Neural network-based estimates of Southern Ocean net community production from in-situ O<sub>2</sub> / Ar and satellite observation: a methodological study

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 16923-16972 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-H. Chang ◽  
N. C. Johnson ◽  
N. Cassar
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Mixed Layer ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Basin Scale ◽  
Community Production

Abstract. Southern Ocean organic carbon export plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, yet its basin-scale climatology and variability are uncertain due to limited coverage of in situ observations. In this study, a neural network approach based on the self-organizing map (SOM) is adopted to construct weekly gridded (1° × 1°) maps of organic carbon export for the Southern Ocean from 1998 to 2009. The SOM is trained with in situ measurements of O2 / Ar-derived net community production (NCP) that are tightly linked to the carbon export in the mixed layer on timescales of 1–2 weeks, and six potential NCP predictors: photosynthetically available radiation (PAR), particulate organic carbon (POC), chlorophyll (Chl), sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface height (SSH), and mixed layer depth (MLD). This non-parametric approach is based entirely on the observed statistical relationships between NCP and the predictors, and therefore is strongly constrained by observations. A thorough cross-validation yields three retained NCP predictors, Chl, PAR, and MLD. Our constructed NCP is further validated by good agreement with previously published independent in situ derived NCP of weekly or longer temporal resolution through real-time and climatological comparisons at various sampling sites. The resulting November–March NCP climatology reveals a pronounced zonal band of high NCP roughly following the subtropical front in the Atlantic, Indian and western Pacific sectors, and turns southeastward shortly after the dateline. Other regions of elevated NCP include the upwelling zones off Chile and Namibia, Patagonian Shelf, Antarctic coast, and areas surrounding the Islands of Kerguelen, South Georgia, and Crozet. This basin-scale NCP climatology closely resembles that of the satellite POC field and observed air-sea CO2 flux. The long-term mean area-integrated NCP south of 50° S from our dataset, 14 mmol C m–2 d–1, falls within the range of 8.3–24 mmol C m–2 d–1 from other model estimates. A broad agreement is found in the basin-wide NCP climatology among various models but with significant spatial variations, particularly in the Patagonian Shelf. Our approach provides a comprehensive view of the Southern Ocean NCP climatology and a potential opportunity to further investigate interannual and intraseasonal variability.

scholarly journals Simultaneous assessment of oxygen and nitrate-based net community production in a temperate shelf sea from a single ocean glider

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Hull ◽  
Naomi Greenwood ◽  
Antony Birchill ◽  
Alexander Beaton ◽  
Mathew Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Water Column ◽  
Euphotic Zone ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Net Community Production ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Shelf Seas ◽  
Shelf Sea ◽  
Autonomous Underwater Glider ◽  
Community Production

Abstract. The continental shelf seas are important at a global scale for ecosystem services. These highly dynamic regions are under a wide range of stresses and as such future management requires appropriate monitoring measures. A key metric to understanding and predicting future change are the rates of biological productivity. We present here the use of a single autonomous underwater glider with oxygen (O2) and total oxidised nitrogen (NOx− = NO3− + NO2−) sensors during a spring bloom as part of a 2019 pilot autonomous shelf sea monitoring study. We find exceptionally high rates of net community production using both O2 and NOx− water column inventory changes, corrected for air-sea gas exchange in case of O2. We compare these rates with 2007 and 2008 mooring observations finding similar rates of NOx− consumption. With these complementary methods we determine the O:N amount ratio of the newly produced organic matter (7.8±0.4) and the overall O2:N ratio for the total water column (5.7±0.4). The former is close to the canonical Redfield O2:N ratio of 8.6±1.0, whereas the latter may be explained by a combination of new organic matter production and preferential remineralisation of more reduced organic matter at a higher O2:N ratio below the euphotic zone.

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