scholarly journals Glacial CO<sub>2</sub> decrease and deep-water deoxygenation by iron fertilization from glaciogenic dust

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 981-996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akitomo Yamamoto ◽  
Ayako Abe-Ouchi ◽  
Rumi Ohgaito ◽  
Akinori Ito ◽  
Akira Oka
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Oxygen Solubility ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Iron Fertilization ◽  
Carbon Pump ◽  
Water Deoxygenation

Abstract. Increased accumulation of respired carbon in the deep ocean associated with enhanced efficiency of the biological carbon pump is thought to be a key mechanism of glacial CO2 drawdown. Despite greater oxygen solubility due to seawater cooling, recent quantitative and qualitative proxy data show glacial deep-water deoxygenation, reflecting increased respired carbon accumulation. However, the mechanisms of deep-water deoxygenation and contribution from the biological pump to glacial CO2 drawdown have remained unclear. In this study, we report the significance of iron fertilization from glaciogenic dust in glacial CO2 decrease and deep-water deoxygenation using our numerical simulation, which successfully reproduces the magnitude and large-scale pattern of the observed oxygen changes from the present to the Last Glacial Maximum. Sensitivity experiments show that physical changes contribute to only one-half of all glacial deep deoxygenation, whereas the other one-half is driven by iron fertilization and an increase in the whole ocean nutrient inventory. We find that iron input from glaciogenic dust with higher iron solubility is the most significant factor in enhancing the biological pump and deep-water deoxygenation. Glacial deep-water deoxygenation expands the hypoxic waters in the deep Pacific and Indian oceans. The simulated global volume of hypoxic waters is nearly double the present value, suggesting that glacial deep water was a more severe environment for benthic animals than that of the modern oceans. Our model underestimates the deoxygenation in the deep Southern Ocean because of enhanced ventilation. The model–proxy comparison of oxygen change suggests that a stratified Southern Ocean is required for reproducing the oxygen decrease in the deep Southern Ocean. Iron fertilization and a global nutrient increase contribute to a decrease in glacial CO2 of more than 30 ppm, which is supported by the model–proxy agreement of oxygen change. Our findings confirm the significance of the biological pump in glacial CO2 drawdown and deoxygenation.

scholarly journals Glacial CO<sub>2</sub> decrease and deep-water deoxygenation by iron fertilization from glaciogenic dust

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akitomo Yamamoto ◽  
Ayako Abe-Ouchi ◽  
Rumi Ohgaito ◽  
Akinori Ito ◽  
Akira Oka
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Oxygen Solubility ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Iron Fertilization ◽  
Water Deoxygenation

Abstract. Increased accumulation of respired carbon in the deep ocean associated with enhanced efficiency of the biological carbon pump is thought to be a key mechanism of glacial CO2 drawdown. Despite greater oxygen solubility due to sea surface cooling, recent quantitative and qualitative proxy data show glacial deep-water deoxygenation, reflecting increased accumulation of respired carbon. However, the mechanisms of deep-water deoxygenation and contribution from the biological pump to glacial CO2 drawdown have remained unclear. In this study, we report the significance of iron fertilization from glaciogenic dust for glacial CO2 decrease and deep-water deoxygenation using our numerical simulation, which successfully reproduces the magnitude and large-scale pattern of the observed oxygen changes from the present to Last Glacial Maximum. Sensitivity experiments reveal that physical changes (e.g., more sluggish ocean circulation) contribute to only half of all glacial deep deoxygenation, whereas the other half is driven by enhanced efficiency of the biological pump. We found that iron input from the glaciogenic dust with higher iron solubility is the most significant factor for enhancement of the biological pump and deep-water deoxygenation. Glacial deep-water deoxygenation expands the hypoxic waters in the deep Pacific and Indian Ocean. The simulated global volume of hypoxic waters is nearly double the present value, which suggest that the glacial deep-water is sever environment for the benthic animals. Our model underestimated the deoxygenation in the deep Southern Ocean due to enhanced ventilation. The model-proxy comparison of oxygen change suggest that the stratified Southern Ocean is required for reproducing oxygen decline in the deep Southern Ocean. Enhanced efficiency of biological pump contributes to decrease of glacial CO2 by more than 30 ppm, which is supported by the model-proxy agreement of oxygen change. Our findings confirm the significance of the biological pump in glacial CO2 drawdown and deoxygenation.

scholarly journals What fraction of the Pacific and Indian oceans' deep water is formed in the Southern Ocean?

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 3779-3794 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. B. Rae ◽  
Wally Broecker
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Ocean Bottom ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Water Value ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Northern Atlantic

Abstract. In this contribution we explore constraints on the fractions of deep water present in the Indian and Pacific oceans which originated in the northern Atlantic and in the Southern Ocean. Based on PO4* we show that if ventilated Antarctic shelf waters characterize the Southern contribution, then the proportions could be close to 50–50. If instead a Southern Ocean bottom water value is used, the Southern contribution is increased to 75 %. While this larger estimate may best characterize the volume of water entering the Indo-Pacific from the Southern Ocean, it contains a significant portion of entrained northern water. We also note that ventilation may be highly tracer dependent: for instance Southern Ocean waters may contribute only 35 % of the deep radiocarbon budget, even if their volumetric contribution is 75 %. In our estimation, the most promising approaches involve using CFC-11 to constrain the amount of deep water formed in the Southern Ocean. Finally, we highlight the broad utility of PO4* as a tracer of deep water masses, including descending plumes of Antarctic Bottom Water and large-scale patterns of deep ocean mixing, and as a tracer of the efficiency of the biological pump.

scholarly journals Impact of oceanic processes on the carbon cycle during the last termination

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1887-1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Bouttes ◽  
D. Paillard ◽  
D. M. Roche ◽  
C. Waelbroeck ◽  
M. Kageyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Vertical Mixing ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Salty Water ◽  
Iron Fertilization ◽  
Transient Simulations ◽  
Carbon Pump ◽  
Complex Models

Abstract. During the last termination (from ~18 000 yr ago to ~9000 yr ago) the climate significantly warmed and the ice sheets melted. Simultaneously, atmospheric CO2 increased from ~190 ppm to ~260 ppm. Although this CO2 rise plays an important role in the deglacial warming, the reasons for its evolution are difficult to explain. Only box models have been used to run transient simulations of this carbon cycle transition, but by forcing the model with data constrained scenarios of the evolution of temperature, sea level, sea ice, NADW formation, Southern Ocean vertical mixing and biological carbon pump. More complex models (including GCMs) have investigated some of these mechanisms but they have only been used to try and explain LGM versus present day steady-state climates. In this study we use a climate-carbon coupled model of intermediate complexity to explore the role of three oceanic processes in transient simulations: the sinking of brines, stratification-dependant diffusion and iron fertilization. Carbonate compensation is accounted for in these simulations. We show that neither iron fertilization nor the sinking of brines alone can account for the evolution of CO2, and that only the combination of the sinking of brines and interactive diffusion can simultaneously simulate the increase in deep Southern Ocean δ13C. The scenario that agrees best with the data takes into account all mechanisms and favours a rapid cessation of the sinking of brines around 18 000 yr ago, when the Antarctic ice sheet extent was at its maximum. Sea ice formation was then shifted to the open ocean where the salty water is quickly mixed with fresher water, which prevents deep sinking of salty water and therefore breaks down the deep stratification and releases carbon from the abyss. Based on this scenario it is possible to simulate both the amplitude and timing of the CO2 increase during the last termination in agreement with data. The atmospheric δ13C appears to be highly sensitive to changes in the terrestrial biosphere, underlining the need to better constrain the vegetation evolution during the termination.

scholarly journals Glacial – interglacial atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> change: a possible "standing volume" effect on deep-ocean carbon sequestration

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1259-1296 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. C. Skinner
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Volume Effect ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Mixing Rates ◽  
Water Filling ◽  
Ocean Carbon ◽  
Oceanic Carbon

Abstract. So far, the exploration of possible mechanisms for glacial atmospheric CO2 draw-down and marine carbon sequestration has focussed almost exclusively on dynamic or kinetic processes (i.e. variable mixing-, equilibration- or export rates). Here an attempt is made to underline instead the possible importance of changes in the standing volumes of intra-oceanic carbon reservoirs (i.e. different water-masses) in setting the total marine carbon inventory. By way of illustration, a simple mechanism is proposed for enhancing the carbon storage capacity of the deep sea, which operates via an increase in the volume of relatively carbon-enriched AABW-like deep-water filling the ocean basins. Given the hypsometry of the ocean floor and an active biological pump, the water-mass that fills more than the bottom 3 km of the ocean will essentially determine the carbon content of the marine reservoir. A set of simple box-model experiments confirm the expectation that a deep sea dominated by AABW-like deep-water holds more CO2, prior to any additional changes in ocean overturning rate, biological export or ocean-atmosphere exchange. The magnitude of this "standing volume effect" might be as large as the contributions that have been attributed to carbonate compensation, the thermodynamic solubility pump or the biological pump for example. If incorporated into the list of factors that have contributed to marine carbon sequestration during past glaciations, this standing volume mechanism may help to reduce the amount of glacial – interglacial CO2 change that remains to be explained by other mechanisms that are difficult to assess in the geological archive, such as reduced mass transport or mixing rates in particular. This in turn could help narrow the search for forcing conditions capable of pushing the global carbon cycle between glacial and interglacial modes.

scholarly journals Rapid shifts in circulation and biogeochemistry of the Southern Ocean during deglacial carbon cycle events

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (42) ◽  
pp. eabb3807
Author(s):  
Tao Li ◽  
Laura F. Robinson ◽  
Tianyu Chen ◽  
Xingchen T. Wang ◽  
Andrea Burke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Last Deglaciation ◽  
Proxy Data ◽  
Ocean Ventilation ◽  
Carbon Release ◽  
The Last Deglaciation

The Southern Ocean plays a crucial role in regulating atmospheric CO2 on centennial to millennial time scales. However, observations of sufficient resolution to explore this have been lacking. Here, we report high-resolution, multiproxy records based on precisely dated deep-sea corals from the Southern Ocean. Paired deep (∆14C and δ11B) and surface (δ15N) proxy data point to enhanced upwelling coupled with reduced efficiency of the biological pump at 14.6 and 11.7 thousand years (ka) ago, which would have facilitated rapid carbon release to the atmosphere. Transient periods of unusually well-ventilated waters in the deep Southern Ocean occurred at 16.3 and 12.8 ka ago. Contemporaneous atmospheric carbon records indicate that these Southern Ocean ventilation events are also important in releasing respired carbon from the deep ocean to the atmosphere. Our results thus highlight two distinct modes of Southern Ocean circulation and biogeochemistry associated with centennial-scale atmospheric CO2 jumps during the last deglaciation.

scholarly journals The biodiversity of the deep Southern Ocean benthos

2006 ◽  
Vol 362 (1477) ◽  
pp. 39-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Brandt ◽  
C De Broyer ◽  
I De Mesel ◽  
K.E Ellingsen ◽  
A.J Gooday ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Sediment Type ◽  
Biodiversity Patterns ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Relationship Of

Our knowledge of the biodiversity of the Southern Ocean (SO) deep benthos is scarce. In this review, we describe the general biodiversity patterns of meio-, macro- and megafaunal taxa, based on historical and recent expeditions, and against the background of the geological events and phylogenetic relationships that have influenced the biodiversity and evolution of the investigated taxa. The relationship of the fauna to environmental parameters, such as water depth, sediment type, food availability and carbonate solubility, as well as species interrelationships, probably have shaped present-day biodiversity patterns as much as evolution. However, different taxa exhibit different large-scale biodiversity and biogeographic patterns. Moreover, there is rarely any clear relationship of biodiversity pattern with depth, latitude or environmental parameters, such as sediment composition or grain size. Similarities and differences between the SO biodiversity and biodiversity of global oceans are outlined. The high percentage (often more than 90%) of new species in almost all taxa, as well as the high degree of endemism of many groups, may reflect undersampling of the area, and it is likely to decrease as more information is gathered about SO deep-sea biodiversity by future expeditions. Indeed, among certain taxa such as the Foraminifera, close links at the species level are already apparent between deep Weddell Sea faunas and those from similar depths in the North Atlantic and Arctic. With regard to the vertical zonation from the shelf edge into deep water, biodiversity patterns among some taxa in the SO might differ from those in other deep-sea areas, due to the deep Antarctic shelf and the evolution of eurybathy in many species, as well as to deep-water production that can fuel the SO deep sea with freshly produced organic matter derived not only from phytoplankton, but also from ice algae.

scholarly journals Iron defecation by sperm whales stimulates carbon export in the Southern Ocean

2010 ◽  
Vol 277 (1699) ◽  
pp. 3527-3531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish J. Lavery ◽  
Ben Roudnew ◽  
Peter Gill ◽  
Justin Seymour ◽  
Laurent Seuront ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Photic Zone ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
Molar Ratios

The iron-limited Southern Ocean plays an important role in regulating atmospheric CO 2 levels. Marine mammal respiration has been proposed to decrease the efficiency of the Southern Ocean biological pump by returning photosynthetically fixed carbon to the atmosphere. Here, we show that by consuming prey at depth and defecating iron-rich liquid faeces into the photic zone, sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) instead stimulate new primary production and carbon export to the deep ocean. We estimate that Southern Ocean sperm whales defecate 50 tonnes of iron into the photic zone each year. Molar ratios of C export ∶Fe added determined during natural ocean fertilization events are used to estimate the amount of carbon exported to the deep ocean in response to the iron defecated by sperm whales. We find that Southern Ocean sperm whales stimulate the export of 4 × 10 5 tonnes of carbon per year to the deep ocean and respire only 2 × 10 5  tonnes of carbon per year. By enhancing new primary production, the populations of 12 000 sperm whales in the Southern Ocean act as a carbon sink, removing 2 × 10 5 tonnes more carbon from the atmosphere than they add during respiration. The ability of the Southern Ocean to act as a carbon sink may have been diminished by large-scale removal of sperm whales during industrial whaling.

Southern Ocean deep-water carbon export enhanced by natural iron fertilization

Nature ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 457 (7229) ◽  
pp. 577-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond T. Pollard ◽  
Ian Salter ◽  
Richard J. Sanders ◽  
Mike I. Lucas ◽  
C. Mark Moore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Carbon Export ◽  
Iron Fertilization ◽  
Natural Iron

scholarly journals Small phytoplankton contribute greatly to CO2-fixation after the diatom bloom in the Southern Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solène Irion ◽  
Urania Christaki ◽  
Hugo Berthelot ◽  
Stéphane L’Helguen ◽  
Ludwig Jardillier
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Co2 Fixation ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Small Cells ◽  
Cell Level ◽  
Carbon Pump ◽  
Small Phytoplankton ◽  
Important Pathway

AbstractPhytoplankton is composed of a broad-sized spectrum of phylogenetically diverse microorganisms. Assessing CO2-fixation intra- and inter-group variability is crucial in understanding how the carbon pump functions, as each group of phytoplankton may be characterized by diverse efficiencies in carbon fixation and export to the deep ocean. We measured the CO2-fixation of different groups of phytoplankton at the single-cell level around the naturally iron-fertilized Kerguelen plateau (Southern Ocean), known for intense diatoms blooms suspected to enhance CO2 sequestration. After the bloom, small cells (<20 µm) composed of phylogenetically distant taxa (prymnesiophytes, prasinophytes, and small diatoms) were growing faster (0.37 ± 0.13 and 0.22 ± 0.09 division d−1 on- and off-plateau, respectively) than larger diatoms (0.11 ± 0.14 and 0.09 ± 0.11 division d−1 on- and off-plateau, respectively), which showed heterogeneous growth and a large proportion of inactive cells (19 ± 13%). As a result, small phytoplankton contributed to a large proportion of the CO2 fixation (41–70%). The analysis of pigment vertical distribution indicated that grazing may be an important pathway of small phytoplankton export. Overall, this study highlights the need to further explore the role of small cells in CO2-fixation and export in the Southern Ocean.

scholarly journals Quantification of the lithogenic carbon pump following a dust deposition event

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 13639-13677 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bressac ◽  
C. Guieu ◽  
D. Doxaran ◽  
F. Bourrin ◽  
K. Desboeufs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Estimation ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Deep Ocean ◽  
Biological Pump ◽  
Dust Deposition ◽  
Poc Flux ◽  
Poc Export ◽  
Carbon Pump ◽  
Fertilization Effect ◽  
Dust Events

Abstract. Lithogenic particles, such as desert dust, have been postulated to influence particulate organic carbon (POC) export to the deep ocean by acting as mineral ballasts. However, an accurate understanding and quantification of the POC-dust association that occurs within the upper ocean is required in order to affine the "ballast hypothesis". In the framework of the DUNE project, two artificial seedings were performed seven days apart within large mesocosms. A suite of optical and biogeochemical measurements were used to quantify surface POC export following simulated dust events within a low-nutrient low-chlorophyll ecosystem. The two successive seedings led to a 2.3–6.7 fold higher POC flux as compared to the POC flux observed in controlled mesocosms. A simple linear regression analysis revealed that the lithogenic fluxes explained more than 85% of the variance in POC fluxes. At the scale of a dust deposition event, we estimated that 42–50% of POC fluxes were strictly associated with lithogenic particles through an aggregation process. Lithogenic ballasting also likely impacted the remaining POC fraction which resulted from the fertilization effect. The observations support the "ballast hypothesis" and provide a quantitative estimation of the surface POC export abiotically triggered by dust deposition. In this work, we demonstrate that the strength of such a "lithogenic carbon pump" depends on the biogeochemical conditions of the water column at the time of deposition. Based on these observations, we suggest that this "lithogenic carbon pump" could represent a major component of the biological pump in oceanic areas subjected to intense atmospheric forcing.

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