Biogeochemical cycling in the dynamic surface ocean
Net community production (NCP) represents the amount of biologically-produced organic carbon that is available to be exported out of the surface ocean and is often estimated using in-situ measurements of the O2/Ar ratio in the surface mixed layer. However, physical processes that introduce low-oxygen waters into the surface ocean can significantly bias NCP estimates. Furthermore, without an additional measure of …
Continue reading Transport bias in ΔO2/Ar-based NCP in dynamic coastal regions
The balance of marine autotrophy and heterotrophy regulates the ocean's ability to serve as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide through carbon export via the biological pump. The efficiency of this process varies, often in conjunction with variability in surface ocean dynamics, but it is still unclear what drives these changes. In a recent paper in …
Continue reading How do physical dynamics alter carbon export efficiency?
Accurate estimates of the magnitude of organic carbon export from satellite measurements of ocean color would lead to a better understanding of the global sink for atmospheric CO2. However, we have yet to fully understand how the distribution of phytoplankton in the surface ocean translates into organic carbon export. There is evidence that certain groups of phytoplankton contribute disproportionately …
