Recent planktonic foraminiferal distribution patterns and their relation to hydrographic conditions of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexican Pacific

Machain-Castillo, M. L.; Monreal‐Gómez, María Adela; Arellano‐Torres, Elsa; Merino–Ibarra, Martín; González–Chávez, Gabriel

doi:10.1016/j.marmicro.2007.08.003

Cited by 24 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Studies at the BATS site have demonstrated the influence of cyclonic and mode water eddies in promoting phytoplankton blooms and increased secondary production (Eden et al, 2009;McGillicuddy et al, 2007McGillicuddy et al, , 1999Goldthwait and Steinberg, 2008;Sweeney et al, 2003;Lomas et al, 2013;Cianca et al, 2012) and therefore affecting PF food availability and quality (Schmuker and Schiebel, 2002). Previous studies have found higher fluxes of certain PF species such as Globigerinita glutinata associated with cyclonic eddy structures in the Caribbean Sea (Schmuker and Schiebel, 2002) and North Atlantic (Beckman et al, 1998-1999, 1999-2000, 2008-2009 and 2009-2010. 1987), also in conjunction with upwelling frontal regions in the Mexican Pacific (Machain-Castillo et al, 2008) and deep mixed layers during winter in the Mediterranean (Pujol and Vergnaud Grazzini, 1995). Here we observe a similar response during the passage of a cyclonic eddy in spring 2009, particularly for deeper-dwelling species.…”

Section: Eddiessupporting

confidence: 72%

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

et al. 2015

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Abstract. Oligotrophic regions represent up to 75 % ofEarth's open-ocean environments. They are thus areas of major importance in understanding the plankton community dynamics and biogeochemical fluxes. Here we present fluxes of total planktonic foraminifera and 11 planktonic foraminifer species measured at the Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) time series site in the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea, subtropical western North Atlantic Ocean. Foraminifera flux was measured at 1500 m water depth, over two ∼ 2.5-year intervals: 1998-2000 and 2007-2010. We find that foraminifera flux was closely correlated with total mass flux, carbonate and organic carbon fluxes. We show that the planktonic foraminifera flux increases approximately 5-fold during the winter-spring, contributing up to ∼ 40 % of the total carbonate flux. This was primarily driven by increased fluxes of deeper-dwelling globorotaliid species, which contributed up to 90 % of the foraminiferal-derived carbonate during late winter-early spring. Interannual variability in total foraminifera flux, and in particular fluxes of the deepdwelling species (Globorotalia truncatulinoides, Globorotalia hirsuta and Globorotalia inflata), was related to differences in seasonal mixed layer dynamics affecting the strength of the spring phytoplankton bloom and export flux, and by the passage of mesoscale eddies. As these heavily calcified, dense carbonate tests of deeper-dwelling species (3 times denser than surface dwellers) have greater sinking rates, this implies a high seasonality of the biological carbonate pump in oligotrophic oceanic regions. Our data suggest that climate cycles, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation, which modulates nutrient supply into the euphotic zone and the strength of the spring bloom, may also in turn modulate the production and flux of these heavily calcified deep-dwelling foraminifera by increasing their food supply, thereby intensifying the biological carbonate pump.

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Section: Eddiessupporting

confidence: 72%

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

et al. 2015

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“…Another mesoscale structure of importance in relation to carbon chemistry in the GoT is the coastal current that flows to the northwest. Although this has been reported previously as a surface current by other authors [ Barton et al ., ; Flores‐Vidal et al ., ; Machain‐Castillo et al ., ; Velázquez‐Muñoz et al ., ], in the present study, it occurred as a surface current to the east and a subsurface one to the west. This current functions as a DIC advection mechanism.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other calcifying organisms in the GoT, such as foraminifera and coccolitophores, may also be exposed to low pH values. According to Machain-Castillo et al [2008], shells of recent planktonic foraminifera in GoT sediments show differences in assemblages, depeding on the location of the wind jet, with Globigerina bulloides being the most abundant species (21%). Shell dissolution rates were higher near the coast (15.58N-16.58N and 958W-95.58W), at the same location of the highly mixed area in our study.…”

Section: Ecological Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of post‐Tehuano oceanographic processes in the dynamics of the CO₂ system in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico

et al. 2015

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This investigation reports, for the first time, results of CO2 system variables in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, located in the Mexican tropical Pacific. We quantified the post‐Tehuano concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and pH (April 2013). These values were used to calculate pCO2, aragonite saturation (ΩAr), and air‐sea CO2 fluxes (FCO2). The intense vertical stratification was found to contribute to the biogeochemical processes in surface waters (<70 m). However, in post‐Tehuano conditions, high pCO2 (∼1000 µatm) and DIC concentrations (2200 µmol kg−1), as well as low ΩAr (∼1.1) and pH (∼7.5), remain in surface waters for a few days after Tehuano winds have weakened. We identified four oceanographic areas: (a) a highly mixed region due to previous Tehuano events; (b) coastal upwelling in the western region; (c) mesoscale eddies; (d) a poleward surface coastal current. The first three promoted the influence of Subtropical Subsurface Water in the chemistry of surface waters, whereas the coastal current contributed to the horizontal advection of DIC. The calculated CO2 fluxes ranged from −2.3 mmol m−2 d−1 in areas with stratified waters to over 25 mmol m−2 d−1 for mixed areas. Positive values indicate an ocean‐to‐atmosphere flux. Our findings suggest that the Gulf of Tehuantepec is a major source of CO2 into the atmosphere.

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“…Nevertheless, we use a single relationship to calculate δ 18 O sw from salinity (Fairbanks et al, 1982), which does not consider differences in SSS vs δ 18 O sw between water sources. For instance, water masses in the upper water column of the GoT are Equatorial Surface Water (ESW) and Subtropical Subsurface Water (SSW) (Machain-Castillo et al, 2008), the latter of which originates in the South Pacific and is characterized by a salinity maximum and different freshwater end member. In the GoT, ESW is typically found in the upper 55-70 m of the water column although during the winter and spring, ESW shoals to 35-50 m (Machain-Castillo et al, 2008).…”

Section: Seasonal Upwelling and δ 18 O Sw Variabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…comm.). Globigerina bulloides is the most abundant species of foraminifera in GoT surface sediments (Machain-Castillo et al, 2008), and is present throughout the year in sediment trap samples. Therefore, this species was selected to provide the most complete temporal coverage for this study, despite the fact G. bulloides often displays seasonal variability in abundance or depth habitat, migrating between the mixed layer and upper thermocline (McConnell and Thunell, 2005;Wejnert et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating controls on planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific

Gibson

Thunell

Fehrenbacher

et al. 2016

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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between mixed-layer species G. ruber and G. bulloides and thermocline-dweller G. menardii track seasonal changes in upwelling. The records suggest an increase in upwelling during the peak positive phase of El Niño, and an overall reduction in stratification over the six-year period. For all three species, Mg/Ca ratios are higher than what has been reported in previous studies, and show poor correlations to calcification temperature. We suggest that low pH (7.6-8.0) and [CO 3 2− ] values (∼70-120 μmol/kg) in the mixed layer contribute to an overall trend of higher Mg/Ca ratios in this region. Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry analyses of G. bulloides with high Mg/Ca ratios (>9 mmol/mol) reveal the presence of a secondary coating of inorganic calcite that has Mg/Ca and Mn/Ca ratios up to an order of magnitude higher than these elemental ratios in the primary calcite, along with elevated Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios. Some of the samples with abnormally high Mg/Ca are found during periods of high primary productivity, suggesting the alteration may be related to changes in carbonate saturation resulting from remineralization of organic matter in oxygen-poor waters in the water column. Although similar shell layering has been observed on fossil foraminifera, this is the first time such alteration has been studied in shells collected from the water column. Our results suggest a role for seawater carbonate chemistry in influencing foraminiferal calcite trace element:calcium ratios prior to deposition on the seafloor, particularly in high-productivity, low-oxygen environments.

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Recent planktonic foraminiferal distribution patterns and their relation to hydrographic conditions of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexican Pacific

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

Influence of post‐Tehuano oceanographic processes in the dynamics of the CO₂ system in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico

Evaluating controls on planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific

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Recent planktonic foraminiferal distribution patterns and their relation to hydrographic conditions of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexican Pacific

Cited by 24 publications

References 27 publications

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

Upper ocean mixing controls the seasonality of planktonic foraminifer fluxes and associated strength of the carbonate pump in the oligotrophic North Atlantic

Influence of post‐Tehuano oceanographic processes in the dynamics of the CO2 system in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico

Evaluating controls on planktonic foraminiferal geochemistry in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific

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Influence of post‐Tehuano oceanographic processes in the dynamics of the CO₂ system in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico