Biogenic sedimentation in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Dunbar, Robert B.; Leventer, Amy; Stockton, William L.

doi:10.1016/0025-3227(89)90152-7

Cited by 109 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Hence, loss of organic matter from the illuminated surface layer is almost entirely mediated by krill. This is in sharp contrast to the Ross Sea, where faecal strings of euphausiids are only rarely found in trapped material (Dunbar et al, 1989;Fabiano et al, 1997;Asper and Smith, 1999;Langone et al, 2000), coincident with the low abundances of krill . High fluxes in the Ross Sea late in the season are carried out by the pteropod Limacina helicina, and the contribution of pteropod shells can reach nearly 50% of the total flux.…”

Section: Modes Of Particle Transportationcontrasting

confidence: 59%

“…However, the role of sea ice within the pelagic-benthic coupling has rarely been studied (Fukuchi and Sasaki, 1981;Matsuda et al, 1987;Dunbar et al, 1989;Pusceddu et al, 1999;Thomas et al, 2001). Ice algae tend to form aggregates, whose sinking rates are three orders of magnitude higher than those of dispersed ice algae, and hence they contribute greatly to the vertical flux (Riebesell et al, 1991).…”

Section: Particle Flux From Sea Icementioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of zooplankton in the pelagic-benthic coupling of the Southern Ocean

Schnack-Schiel

Isla

2005

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: Zooplankton contributes in different ways to pelagic-benthic coupling: Their faecal material is a major route of energy flow and the vertical migrations of many species as well as the production of pelagic larvae by benthic organisms represent different paths to link the two subsystems. Antarctic particle fluxes have been shown to be highly variable in size and composition within a given region and even at the same site from year to year. There are also differences throughout the water column, where particle fluxes close to the sea floor beyond the continental shelf break do not normally show seasonal variation within shallow environments. Commonly, at depths shallower than 500 m, the most evident feature is that more than 90% of the annual fluxes occur during a short period of the spring-summer. This event is masked near the seabed at greater depths due to resupension and lateral advection of particles. Faecal material of various origins is one of the main constituents of the biogenic matter flux. It usually reaches its maximum in February once the early phytoplankton bloom has developed. However, the presence of faecal pellets is ubiquitous during the months of the year when there is enough light to support primary production. At this stage more research is needed to elucidate the particular role of distinct taxaincluding among others salps, krill, copepods and protozoans-in the transport of organic matter to the benthos, and their contribution to the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon. Aggregation of particles is another important process controlling the development and dynamics of pelagic-benthic coupling due to its influence on the sinking velocity of particles and the enhancement of organic matter utilisation by members of the microbial loop in the upper layers of the water column. Also in shallow waters, aggregation favours the transfer of high-quality organic matter to the benthic realm. At greater depths resuspended aggregates and single particles from shallow environments may constitute a considerable fraction of the "fresh" biogenic flux. Submarine canyons accelerate and cause more efficient transfer of energy to the deep-sea benthos. Both faecal pellets and aggregation increase the original sinking velocity of individual particles and reduce their residence time in the water column, thus creating rich organic mats over the seabed in shallow environments. In the Southern Ocean these rapid organic matter transfers are important since they allow the accumulation of highly nutritive material, which may fuel the benthos during the dark months due to constant resuspension by tidal currents. Several factors control the particle fluxes in the Southern Ocean, such as size and composition of phytoplankton blooms, currents, seasonality, depth, and ice coverage. Due to this complexity, despite many efforts there is still a long way to go before the pathway of this ecologically important link can be fully understood and described. Our knowledge of the pelagic-benthic coupli...

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Section: Modes Of Particle Transportationcontrasting

confidence: 59%

Section: Particle Flux From Sea Icementioning

confidence: 99%

The role of zooplankton in the pelagic-benthic coupling of the Southern Ocean

Schnack-Schiel

Isla

2005

Sci. Mar.

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“…Brandini & Rebello (1994) reported that the strong turbulence generated by winds resuspended benthic diatoms from the sediment of the inner shallow sections of the Admiralty Bay. In other areas of Antarctic coastal environments, resuspension of sublittoral deposit has been suggested as a primary process for increasing suspended solids (Krebs 1983, Berkman et al 1986, Everitt & Thomas 1986, Dunbar et al 1989, Gilbert 1991, Brandini & Rebello 1994, Klöser et al 1994, Ahn et al 1997. The resuspension of benthic microalgae would significantly affect secondary production and the diversity of nearshore phytoplankton assemblages (Ahn 1996).…”

Section: Seasonal Variation Of Microalgal Abundance In Relation To Enmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variation of microalgal assemblages at a fixed station in King George Island, Antarctica, 1996

Kang¹,

Kang²,

Lee³

et al. 2002

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Microalgal assemblages were measured daily from January to December 1996 at a fixed neritic station in Marian Cove, King George Island, Antarctica. The abundance of microalgae and carbon biomass exhibited clear seasonal variation. Annual mean of total microalgal abundance in surface water was 2.43 × 10 4 cells l -1. Microalgal cell abundance in Marian Cove showed a multimodal distribution of standing crop during the study period. Microalgae started to bloom in October and increased abruptly during November. More than 45% (avg. 3.5 mg m -3 ) of chl a was present in the 2 months November and December, dominated by microplanktonic diatoms (> 20 µm) such as Fragilaria striatula Lyngbye, Licmophora belgicae Peragallo, and Achnanthes groenlandica Grunow. The increase of these diatoms were mainly due to resuspension of benthic microalgae by wind and tidal currents in spring and summer. In contrast, microalgal assemblages in winter were characterized by the dominance of pico-and nanoplanktonic microalgae (< 20 µm) such as Phaeocystis antarctica Karsten, Navicula glaciei Van Heurck, and Navicula perminuta Grunow.

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“…Antarctic benthos often dwells on relatively deep (>500 m) continental shelves that receive pulses of sedimentary organic matter during the spring-summer season when material released from melting sea ice and the seasonal phytoplankton bloom rapidly sinks to depth (von Bodungen et al, 1986;Dunbar et al, 1989Dunbar et al, , 1998Bathmann et al, 1991;Wefer and Fischer, 1991;Riebesell et al, 1991;Park et al, 1999;Lizotte, 2001;Palanques et al, 2002;Isla et al, 2009). These pulses provide the major organic flux to the benthos, although the temporal relationship of flux to biomass accumulation can vary .…”

Section: Impacts Of Advection On the Antarctic Benthosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advection in polar and sub-polar environments: Impacts on high latitude marine ecosystems

Hunt

Drinkwater

Arrigo

et al. 2016

Progress in Oceanography

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a b s t r a c tWe compare and contrast the ecological impacts of atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns on polar and sub-polar marine ecosystems. Circulation patterns differ strikingly between the north and south. Meridional circulation in the north provides connections between the sub-Arctic and Arctic despite the presence of encircling continental landmasses, whereas annular circulation patterns in the south tend to isolate Antarctic surface waters from those in the north. These differences influence fundamental aspects of the polar ecosystems from the amount, thickness and duration of sea ice, to the types of organisms, and the ecology of zooplankton, fish, seabirds and marine mammals. Meridional flows in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans transport heat, nutrients, and plankton northward into the Chukchi Sea, the Barents Sea, and the seas off the west coast of Greenland. In the North Atlantic, the advected heat warms the waters of the southern Barents Sea and, with advected nutrients and plankton, supports immense biomasses of fish, seabirds and marine mammals. On the Pacific side of the Arctic, cold waters flowing northward across the northern Bering and Chukchi seas during winter and spring limit the ability of boreal fish species to take advantage of high seasonal production there. Southward flow of cold Arctic waters into sub-Arctic regions of the North Atlantic occurs mainly through Fram Strait with less through the Barents Sea and the Canadian Archipelago. In the Pacific, the transport of Arctic waters and plankton southward through Bering Strait is minimal.In the Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its associated fronts are barriers to the southward dispersal of plankton and pelagic fishes from sub-Antarctic waters, with the consequent evolution of Antarctic zooplankton and fish species largely occurring in isolation from those to the north. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current also disperses biota throughout the Southern Ocean, and as a result, the biota tends to be similar within a given broad latitudinal band. South of the Southern Boundary of the ACC, there is a large-scale divergence that brings nutrient-rich water to the surface. This divergence, along with more localized upwelling regions and deep vertical convection in winter, generates elevated nutrient levels throughout the Antarctic at the end of austral winter. However, such elevated nutrient levels do not support elevated phytoplankton productivity through the entire Southern Ocean, as iron concentrations are rapidly removed to limiting levels by spring blooms in deep waters. However, coastal http://dx

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Biogenic sedimentation in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Cited by 109 publications

References 44 publications

The role of zooplankton in the pelagic-benthic coupling of the Southern Ocean

The role of zooplankton in the pelagic-benthic coupling of the Southern Ocean

Seasonal variation of microalgal assemblages at a fixed station in King George Island, Antarctica, 1996

Advection in polar and sub-polar environments: Impacts on high latitude marine ecosystems

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