Abstract
Primary production in the euphotic zone results in the generation of organic particles, and these particles are exported to deeper waters via the ocean’s biological pump. In the Ross Sea large blooms of phytoplankton occur, and it has been hypothesized that aggregate formation plays an important role in generating rapidly sinking particles under these conditions. To assess the coupling of surface layer biological processes and the vertical flux patterns in the Ross Sea, we used a coupled biophysical model of phytoplankton production linked to a submodel of aggregate formation. The model suggests that the process of aggregate formation can be the major component of vertical flux of blooms in the Ross Sea. Furthermore, large aggregates are responsible for much of the vertical flux, and their production lags the production of chlorophyll in the surface layer. Aggregate formation is highly dependent on the parameterization of “stickiness”. The role of the aggregates in the surface layer of the Ross Sea and the coupling to vertical flux of organic matter may provide a means of understanding the patterns of vertical flux for other productive areas of the Antarctic.
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Smith, W.O., Niebauer, H.J., Asper, V.L. (2000). Coupling of Surface Layer Biological Processes and Vertical Flux in the Ross Sea. In: Faranda, F.M., Guglielmo, L., Ianora, A. (eds) Ross Sea Ecology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59607-0_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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