Biological and physical influences on marine snowfall at the equator

Kiko, Rainer; Biastoch, Arne; Brandt, Peter; Cravatte, Sophie; Hauss, Helena; Hummels, Rebecca; Kriest, Iris; Marin, Frédéric; McDonnell, Andrew M. P.; Oschlies, Andreas; Picheral, Marc; Schwarzkopf, Franziska U.; Thurnherr, A. M.; Stemmann, Lars

doi:10.1038/ngeo3042

Cited by 79 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Gravitational settling of particles from the euphotic zone to the deep ocean plays an important role in controlling the ocean's carbon cycle (Armstrong et al, 2001;Son et al, 2009;Alonso-González et al, 2010;Kiko et al, 2017). Particles sinking rapidly enough to reach significant depths before being degraded or solubilized also contribute to the biological pump Passow and Carlson, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of mesoscale and submesoscale circulation on sinking particles in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Liu

Bracco

Passow

2018

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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. Taken together, model results and trap data indicate that cross-shore transport of riverine input induced by mesoscale eddies, and convergence and divergence processes at the scale of a few kilometers, significantly impact the trajectory of sinking particles. The large majority of modeled particles reach the bottom faster than would be expected by their sinking speeds alone. This finding is associated with submesoscale-induced horizontal convergence in the mixed layer that aggregates particles preferentially in downwelling regions, accelerating their descent. Furthermore, this study confirms that the cone of influence of vertical fluxes is highly variable in both space and time in the presence of an energetic eddy field, especially for particles with sinking velocity of 50 m d -1 or less. It also demonstrates that the variability of vertical fluxes in the Gulf of Mexico is highly complex and can be understood only by considering the mesoscale circulation and seasonal cycle of primary productivity, which in turn are linked to riverine inputs, wind forcing and the seasonal cycle of the mixed-layer depth.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of mesoscale and submesoscale circulation on sinking particles in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Liu

Bracco

Passow

2018

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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“…As expected, the effect of the active transport is to redistribute particulate organic carbon between the subsurface and the migration depth. Therefore, the active transport of carbon decreases the concentration of particles in the subsurface while increasing it deeper than~500 m. Those characteristic profiles have noticeably been observed in equatorial regions by Kiko et al (2017). Interestingly, in M60, the amount of big particles can even be higher at the migration depth, than in the subsurface layer.…”

Section: Regional Analysis Of the Active Transport Effectmentioning

confidence: 89%

Simulated Changes in the Particulate Carbon Export Efficiency due to Diel Vertical Migration of Zooplankton in the North Atlantic

Gorguès

Aumont

Mémery

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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Diel vertical migration (DVM) of zooplankton has been recognized to influence the biological pump by releasing carbon and nutrients at depth. However, uncertainties regarding the magnitude, spatial occurrence, and variability of this “active transport,” as well as its impact on the carbon export, remain. To tackle these questions, a cost‐effective parameterization of the DVM is included into a regional biogeochemical model simulating the North Atlantic. In addition to a reference simulation in which no DVM is simulated, two relative biomasses of migrating zooplankton (30% and 60%) have been tested. It leads to an active to passive export ratio in agreement with published estimations and to an increase in the carbon export efficiency at 1,000 m between 20% and 40%. However, this effect is partially canceled out by a simulated primary production decrease. DVM differently impacts contrasted North Atlantic regions with the largest effect on export efficiency found in the subtropical area.

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“…Some early studies reported that SPOM decreased with depth, with low concentrations in deep water (Altabet, ; Sheridan et al, ), but more recent studies have documented high concentrations of slow‐sinking particles at bathypelagic depths in the Atlantic and western equatorial Pacific (Kiko et al, ). Studies in the subtropical North Atlantic found that the average concentration of buoyant particulate organic carbon showed no discernable decrease with depth and that the concentration of these particles was approximately 1 to 2 orders of magnitude greater than the concentration of fast‐sinking particles (Baltar et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The source of these deep buoyant and slow‐sinking particles remains unclear. Some, at least, may be the remnants of fast‐sinking particles that were fragmented at depth by swimming zooplankton (Cavan et al, 2017; Dilling & Alldredge, ; Giering et al, ; Kiko et al, ). Deep‐sea scleractinian corals, with carbonate‐bound organic nitrogen δ 15 N values consistently 8–9‰ higher than the δ 15 N of fast‐sinking particles, have been suggested to primarily feed on buoyant particles that are possibly derived from fast‐sinking particles (Wang et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Sources of Benthic Communities at the Caiwei Guyot and Yap Trench, Northwestern Pacific Ocean: Inferences From Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes

et al. 2020

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To investigate nutritional resources for benthic communities at two sites in the northwestern Pacific Ocean (the Caiwei Guyot and the Yap Trench), stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (δ 13 C and δ 15 N) were measured in the tissues of megabenthic consumers (Porifera, Asteroidea, Crinoidea, Holothuroidea, Ophiuroidea, Gammaridea, and Actiniaria) as well as four potential food sources (suspended particles, sinking particles, zooplankton, and sedimentary organic matter). Fast-sinking particles are generally thought to be the primary food source for benthic consumers, but that paradigm does not seem to apply at these abyssal sites. Here the δ 13 C and δ 15 N signatures of fast-sinking particles (as collected by sediment traps; δ 13 C = −24.1 to −22.6‰, δ 15 N = 1.4 to 5.4‰) were significantly lower than those of the megabenthos (δ 13 C = −20.1 to −16.1‰, δ 15 N = 10.2 to 17.9‰), indicating that these particles are not likely a direct food source for the animals. Buoyant particles (and slow-sinking particles), on the other hand, seem to be a significant direct food source for the megabenthos. Sedimentary organic matter and zooplankton are also important direct food sources. Trophic level analysis similarly indicates a diversity of food sources and suggests that for at least some animals, microbes (e.g., bacteria) may be a food source as well.Plain Language Summary Even today, very little is known about what kinds of foods are eaten by ocean animals on the deep, deep seafloor. Fast-sinking particles (collected by sediment traps) are generally thought to be the primary food source for benthic consumers in abyssal environments. However, based on stable isotope evidence, our study suggests that fast-sinking particles are not a direct food source for the megabenthos. Instead, zooplankton, sedimentary organic matter, and buoyant particles (and slow-sinking particles) are important foods for these animals. Our study finds that megabenthic organisms are capable of utilizing a wide range of food sources, possibly including bacteria.

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Biological and physical influences on marine snowfall at the equator

Cited by 79 publications

References 52 publications

The influence of mesoscale and submesoscale circulation on sinking particles in the northern Gulf of Mexico

The influence of mesoscale and submesoscale circulation on sinking particles in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Simulated Changes in the Particulate Carbon Export Efficiency due to Diel Vertical Migration of Zooplankton in the North Atlantic

Food Sources of Benthic Communities at the Caiwei Guyot and Yap Trench, Northwestern Pacific Ocean: Inferences From Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes

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