The Biological Carbon Pump in the North Atlantic

Sanders, Richard; Henson, Stephanie A.; Koski, Marja; Rocha, Christina L. De La; Painter, Stuart C.; Poulton, Alex J.; Riley, J.P.; Salihoğlu, Barıș; Visser, André W.; Yool, Andrew; Bellerby, R. G. J.; Martin, Adrian P.

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2014.05.005

Cited by 147 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 265 publications

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“…Thus, the biological pump takes carbon out of contact with the atmosphere for several thousand years or longer and maintains atmospheric CO2 at significantly lower levels than would be the case if it did not exist [8]. An ocean without a biological pump, which transfers roughly 11 Gt C yr −1 into the ocean's interior, would result in atmospheric CO2 levels ~400 ppm higher than present day [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoplankton as Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate

2018

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The world's oceans are a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The biological carbon pump plays a vital role in the net transfer of CO 2 from the atmosphere to the oceans and then to the sediments, subsequently maintaining atmospheric CO 2 at significantly lower levels than would be the case if it did not exist. The efficiency of the biological pump is a function of phytoplankton physiology and community structure, which are in turn governed by the physical and chemical conditions of the ocean. However, only a few studies have focused on the importance of phytoplankton community structure to the biological pump. Because global change is expected to influence carbon and nutrient availability, temperature and light (via stratification), an improved understanding of how phytoplankton community size structure will respond in the future is required to gain insight into the biological pump and the ability of the ocean to act as a long-term sink for atmospheric CO 2 . This review article aims to explore the potential impacts of predicted changes in global temperature and the carbonate system on phytoplankton cell size, species and elemental composition, so as to shed light on the ability of the biological pump to sequester carbon in the future ocean.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytoplankton as Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate

2018

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“…On the smaller scale of such investigations are microcosm studies of sinking particles in rolling tanks (Shanks and Trent, 1980;Passow and De La Rocha, 2006) and flow through systems (Ploug et al, 2008;Long et al, 2015) that allow controlled examination of selected processes and interactions. At the other extreme are regional and global scale studies based on models, remote sensing, and observational data from time-series, cameras, autonomous platforms, and sediment traps (Klaas and Archer, 2002;Honjo et al, 2008;Klaas et al, 2008;Lee et al, 2009;Lam et al, 2011;Assmy et al, 2013;Quéguiner, 2013;Giering et al, 2014;Sanders et al, 2014;Guidi et al, 2016). However, whereas small scale laboratory investigations allow full control over environmental variables and mechanistic investigations, they often lack natural community composition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Copepods Boost the Production but Reduce the Carbon Export Efficiency by Diatoms

et al. 2018

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The fraction of net primary production that is exported from the euphotic zone as sinking particulate organic carbon (POC) varies notably through time and from region to region. Phytoplankton containing biominerals, such as silicified diatoms have long been associated with high export fluxes. However, recent reviews point out that the magnitude of export is not controlled by diatoms alone, but determined by the whole plankton community structure. The combined effect of phytoplankton community composition and zooplankton abundance on export flux dynamics, were explored using a set of 12 large outdoor mesocosms. All mesocosms received a daily addition of minor amounts of nitrate and phosphate, while only 6 mesocosms received silicic acid (dSi). This resulted in a dominance of diatoms and dinoflagellate in the +Si mesocosms and a dominance of dinoflagellate in the −Si mesocosms. Simultaneously, half of the mesocosms had decreased mesozooplankton populations whereas the other half were supplemented with additional zooplankton. In all mesocosms, POC fluxes were positively correlated to Si/C ratios measured in the surface community and additions of dSi globally increased the export fluxes in all treatments highlighting the role of diatoms in C export. The presence of additional copepods resulted in higher standing stocks of POC, most probably through trophic cascades. However it only resulted in higher export fluxes for the −Si mesocosms. In the +Si with copepod addition (+Si +Cops) export was dominated by large diatoms with higher Si/C ratios in sinking material than in standing stocks. During non-bloom situations, the grazing activity of copepods decrease the export efficiency in diatom dominated systems by changing the structure of the phytoplankton community and/or preventing their aggregation. However, in flagellate-dominated system, the copepods increased phytoplankton growth, aggregation and fecal pellet production, with overall higher net export not always visible in term of export efficiency.

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“…The food of zooplankton is ultimately provided by the production of phytoplankton in the upper layer of the ocean [1]. Only part of this production is consumed in the surface while the rest is remineralized on its way down the water column by prokaryotes and pelagic fauna.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, the active transport of the surface production by the migrant organisms complements the gravitational flux of the settling organic matter in the sequestration of carbon in the deep ocean [5]. However, while the passive flux of particulate and dissolved organic matter has received considerable attention (for example, References [1,6]) the influence of the vertical migrations of pelagic organisms on the biogeochemistry and on the food webs of the deep layers of the ocean is still poorly known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

Bode

Hernández‐León

2018

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Plankton living in the deep ocean either migrate to the surface to feed or feed in situ on other organisms and detritus. Planktonic communities in the upper 800 m of the tropical and equatorial Atlantic were studied using the natural abundance of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes to identify their food sources and trophic diversity. Seston and zooplankton (>200 µm) samples were collected with Niskin bottles and MOCNESS nets, respectively, in the epipelagic (0-200 m), upper mesopelagic (200-500 m), and lower mesopelagic layers (500-800 m) at 11 stations. Food sources for plankton in the productive zone influenced by the NW African upwelling and the Canary Current were different from those in the oligotrophic tropical and equatorial zones. In the latter, zooplankton collected during the night in the mesopelagic layers was enriched in heavy nitrogen isotopes relative to day samples, supporting the active migration of organisms from deep layers. Isotopic niches showed also zonal differences in size (largest in the north), mean trophic diversity (largest in the tropical zone), food sources, and the number of trophic levels (largest in the equatorial zone). The observed changes in niche size and overlap (up to 71% between the mesopelagic layers but <50% between the epipelagic and upper mesopelagic layers) support the prevalence of in situ feeding at deep layers in tropical and equatorial zooplankton.

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The Biological Carbon Pump in the North Atlantic

Cited by 147 publications

References 265 publications

Phytoplankton as Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate

Phytoplankton as Key Mediators of the Biological Carbon Pump: Their Responses to a Changing Climate

Copepods Boost the Production but Reduce the Carbon Export Efficiency by Diatoms

Trophic Diversity of Plankton in the Epipelagic and Mesopelagic Layers of the Tropical and Equatorial Atlantic Determined with Stable Isotopes

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