Avan Antia

An assessment of the use of sediment traps for estimating upper ocean particle fluxes

This review provides an assessment of sediment trap accuracy issues by gathering data to address trap hydrodynamics, the problem of zooplankton “swimmers,” and the solubilization of material after collection. For each topic, the problem is identified, its magnitude and causes reviewed using selected examples, and an update on methods to correct for the potential bias or minimize the problem using new technologies is presented. To minimize hydrodynamic biases due to flow over the trap mouth, the use of neutrally buoyant sediment traps is encouraged. The influence of swimmers is best minimized using traps that limit zooplankton access to the sample collection chamber. New data on the impact of different swimmer removal protocols at the US time-series sites HOT and BATS are compared and shown to be important. Recent data on solubilization are compiled and assessed suggesting selective losses from sinking particles to the trap supernatant after collection, which may alter both fluxes and ratios of elements in long term and typically deeper trap deployments. Different methods are needed to assess shallow and short- term trap solubilization effects, but thus far new incubation experiments suggest these impacts to be small for most elements. A discussion of trap calibration methods reviews independent assessments of flux, including elemental budgets, particle abundance and flux modeling, and emphasizes the utility of U-Th radionuclide calibration methods.

Basin‐wide particulate carbon flux in the Atlantic Ocean: Regional export patterns and potential for atmospheric CO2 sequestration

Particle flux data from 27 sites in the Atlantic Ocean have been compiled in order to determine regional variations in the strength and efficiency of the biological pump and to quantify carbon fluxes over the ocean basin, thus estimating the potential oceanic sequestration of atmospheric CO2. An algorithm is derived relating annual particulate organic carbon (POC) flux to primary production and depth that yields variations in the export ratio (ER = POC flux/primary production) at 125 m of between 0.08 and 0.38 over the range of production from 50 to 400 g C m−2 yr−1. Significant regional differences in changes of the export ratio with depth are related to the temporal stability of flux. Sites with more pulsed export have higher export ratios at 125 m but show more rapid decreases of POC flux with depth, resulting in little geographic variation in fluxes below ∼3000 m. The opposing effects of organic carbon production and calcification on ΔpCO2 of surface seawater are considered to calculate an “effective carbon flux” at the depth of the euphotic zone and at the base of the winter mixed layer. POC flux at the base of the euphotic zone integrated over the Atlantic Ocean between 65°N and 65°S amounts to 3.14 Gt C yr−1. Of this, 5.7% is remineralized above the winter mixed layer and thus does not contribute to CO2 sequestration on climatically relevant timescales. The effective carbon flux, termed Jeff, amounts to 2.47 Gt C yr−1 and is a measure of the potential sequestration of atmospheric CO2 for the area considered. A shift in the composition of sedimenting particles (seen in a decrease of the opal:carbonate ratio) is seen across the entire North Atlantic, indicating a basin-wide phenomenon that may be related to large-scale changes in climatic forcing.

Trapping efficiencies of sediment traps from the deep Eastern North Atlantic:: the 230Th calibration

Bottom-tethered sediment traps deployed in the deep eastern North Atlantic between 54°N 20°W and 33°N 20°W (L1, L2, L3), at the European continental margin at 49°N (OMEX) and off the Canary Islands (ESTOC) were investigated for the determination of 230Th trapping efficiencies. The ratios of 230Th flux measured in the traps (Fa) to the expected 230Th flux from the production rate of 230Th in the overlying water column (Fp) ranged between 0.09 and 1.26. For the traps with deployment periods >300 days the interannual variation of Fa/Fp ratios (different years but same location and water depth) were up to 10%, suggesting that the average 230Th flux to the sediment traps did not vary significantly. The influence of lateral advection on the 230Th flux was taken into account either by applying a mass balance of 230Th and 231Pa or by assuming a constant removal rate of 230Th from the water column, an assumption based on similar 230Th concentration-depth profiles observed at most locations investigated. 230Th trapping efficiencies were between 9 and 143%, showing a trend of increasing efficiencies with increasing water depth. No relation was found between current velocities and 230Th trapping efficiencies. Our investigations suggest that the observation of constant or even increasing particle flux rates with increasing water depths in several sediment trap arrays investigated may be a result of sediment trap biases. The correction for the trapping biases is important for the understanding of the regional differences in the particle flux in the eastern North Atlantic.

Dissolved organic matter and its utilization by bacteria during spring in the Southern Ocean

Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) were measured during early austral Spring 1992 at a number of stations along the 6°W meridian between 47° and 60°S. This included the Polar Front in the north, the zone of melting sea-ice in the south, and waters of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in between. Concentrations of DOC were low in deep water (34–38 μM) with generally similar or slightly higher values in the surface mixed layer (38–55 μM). DOC:DON ratios are wider in surface water than in deep water, i.e. surface accumulations contain relatively C-rich dissolved organic matter. The highly variable distribution of the surface DOC was not related to hydrographic or biotic features (fronts, plankton development) indicating the lability and transient occurrence of this material. Growth rates of bacteria were determined in subsamples from 51 0.8-μm-filtered batches of seawater incubated in the dark at in-situ temperature. Thymidine and leucine uptake and bacterial biomass change as well as changes in dissolved organic carbon in the batches, and oxygen consumption in parallel incubations correlated linearly over 2 weeks of incubation which allowed extrapolation to in-situ conditions. Bacterial growth in these experiments depended strongly on the amount of initial DOC. Growth in water from greater depth (1000 m) containing 38 μM DOC was minimal, as were DOC-decrease and oxygen consumption. Higher rates were observed in surface water slightly enriched with DOC, and highest rates in surface water amended with DOC-rich melted sea ice. Bacterial growth efficiencies (biomass C-increase vs DOC consumed) were about 30%. The experiments showed that at least 40–60% of the DOC in excess of deep water concentrations was available to bacteria.

Particle flux across the mid-European continental margin

Results are presented from particle flux studies using sediment trap and current meter moorings along a transect at the European continental margin at 49°N within the EU-funded Ocean Margin Exchange (OMEX) project. Two moorings were placed, at the mid- and outer slope in water depths of 1500 and 3660 m, with traps at 600 and 1050 m and at 580, 1440 and 3220 m, respectively. Residual currents at the mid-slope follow the slope contour, whereas seasonal off-slope flow was registered at the outer slope. At 600 m on the slope fluxes are similar to those in the abyssal North Atlantic. The flux of all components (bulk dry weight, particulate organic and inorganic carbon, lithogenic matter and opal) increased with water depth. Highest fluxes were recorded at 1440 m at the outer slope, where off-slope residual currents mediate particle export. The injection of biogenic and lithogenic particles below the depth of winter mixing results in the export of particles from shallower waters. Calculated lateral fluxes of particulate organic carbon exceed the primary flux by over a factor of 2 at 1440 m on the outer slope. Estimated lateral fluxes of suspended particulate matter in the water column and intermediate nepheloid layers at the outer slope are potentially large compared to sinking fluxes measured by sediment traps. A comparison is made of particle flux at three continental margin sites and two sites in the adjacent open North Atlantic, from which it is seen that bulk and organic matter flux increases exponentially with proximity to the shelf break. The percentage contribution of particulate organic carbon to biogenic fluxes increases from a mean of 5.7% in the abyssal N. Atlantic to 13.9% at the continental margins

Export production in the Bay of Biscay as estimated from barium – barite in settling material: a comparison with new production

We present barium data for sediment traps deployed in a northeast Atlantic margin environment (Bay of Biscay). Fluxes of excess barium were measured with the objective of calculating carbon export production rates from the surface mixed layer and thus contribute to the understanding of organic carbon transport in a margin environment. Therefore, it was necessary to properly understand the different processes that affected the barium fluxes in this margin environment. Seasonal variability of POC/Ba flux ratios and decrease of barium solubilisation in the trap cups with increasing depth in the water column probably indicate that the efficiency of barite formation in the organic micro-environment varies with season and that the process is relatively slow and not yet completed in the upper 600 m of water column. Thus barite presence in biogenic aggregates will significantly depend on water column transit time of these aggregates. Furthermore, it was observed that significant lateral input of excess-Ba can occur, probably associated with residual currents leaving the margin. This advected excess-Ba affected especially the recorded fluxes in the deeper traps (>1000 m) of the outer slope region. We have attempted to correct for this advected excess-Ba component, using Th (reported by others for the same samples) as an indicator of enhanced lateral flux and assigning a characteristic Ba/Th ratio to advected material. Using transfer functions relating excess-Ba flux with export production characteristic of margin areas, observed Ba fluxes indicate an export production between 7 and 18 g C m−2 yr−1. Such values are 3–7 times lower than estimates based on N-nutrient uptake and nutrient mass balances, but larger and more realistic than is obtained when a transfer function characteristic of open ocean systems is applied. The discrepancy between export production estimates based on excess-Ba fluxes and nutrient uptake could be resolved if part of the carbon is exported as dissolved organic matter. Results suggest that margin systems function differently from open ocean systems, and therefore Ba-proxy rationales developed for open ocean sites might not be applicable in margin areas.

The seafloor as the ultimate sediment trap-using sediment properties to constrain benthic-pelagic exchange processes at the Goban Spur

The benthic diagenetic model OMEXDIA has been used to reproduce observed benthic pore water and solid phase profiles obtained during the OMEX study in the Goban Spur Area (N.E. Atlantic), and to dynamically model benthic profiles at site OMEX III (3660-m depth), with the sediment trap organic flux as external forcing. The results of the dynamic modelling show that the organic flux as determined from the lowermost sediment trap (400 metres above the bottom) at OMEX III is insufficient to explain the organic carbon and pore water profiles. The best fitting was obtained by maintaining the seasonal pattern as observed in the traps, while multiplying the absolute values of the flux by a factor of 1.85. The “inverse modelling” of diagenetic processes resulted in estimates of total mineralisation rate and of degradability of the organic matter at the different stations. These diagenetic model-based estimates are used to constrain the patterns of lateral and vertical transports of organic matter. Using the observed degradability as a function of depth, we show that the observed organic matter fluxes at the different depths are consistent with a model where at all stations along the gradient the same vertical export flux occurs at 200 m, and where organic matter sinks with a constant sinking rate of around 130 m d−1. If sinking rates were higher, in the order of 200 m d−1, the observations could be consistent with an off-slope gradient in export production of approximately a factor of 1.5 between the shallowest and deepest sites. The derived high degradability of the arriving organic matter and the consistency of the mass fluxes at the different stations exclude the possibility of a massive deposition, on the margin, of organic matter produced on the shelf or shelf break. However, other hypotheses to explain the patterns found in the sediment trap data of both OMEX and other continental margin study sites also suffer from different inconsistencies. Further, close examination of the flow patterns at the margin will be needed to examine the question.

Taxon-specific growth and selective microzooplankton grazing of phytoplankton in the Northeast Atlantic

Abstract Taxon-specific microzooplankton dynamics were studied along a transect through the North Atlantic Drift from 70°N 04°E to 40°N 20°W during July 1997 using serial dilution and nutrient-enrichment experiments. Nutrient concentrations and microzooplankton composition indicated postbloom conditions at 40°N, 47°N, and 50°N, a transitional system at 54°N, and bloom conditions at 62°N and 70°N. The ratio of microzooplankton to phytoplankton biomass was inversely related to nitrate and phosphate concentrations. Potential grazing thresholds were observed in four of nine experiments at 40–66% of the initial phytoplankton concentration. Grazing losses were determined for six pigment-specific classes of phytoplankton. Selective grazing losses of phytoplankton taxa ranged from 73% to 248% of the nonselective grazing losses predicted according to their biomass contributions. The grazing selectivity varied considerably between communities, with the microherbivores showing positive selection for cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates and predominantly avoidance of chlorophyta and bacillariophyceae. Microzooplankton did not show a preference for the dominant phytoplankton taxa, but grazed preferentially on fast-growing phytoplankton with minor contributions (

Spatial and temporal variability of particle flux at the N.W. European continental margin

A synopsis of results from two sediment trap moorings deployed at the mid- and outer slope (water depths 1450 and 3660 m, respectively) of the Goban Spur (N.E. Atlantic Margin) is presented. Fluxes increase with trap deployment depth; below 1000 m resuspended and advected material contributes increasingly to bulk flux. Fluxes of dry weight, POC and diatoms in the traps 400 m above bottom (mab) are smaller than those recorded at the sediment surface due to lateral fluxes in the benthic nepheloid layer. These near-bottom fluxes are larger at shallower water depths. Pa-231/Th-230 ratios in sedimenting material suggest that boundary scavenging is not significant at the Goban Spur. Fluxes of Pb-210 in the intermediate and deep traps are comparable to the Pb-210 supply rate at this site. At the outer slope, sediment Pb-210 fluxes are similar to those measured in the traps 400 mab; at the mid- slope they are a factor of 2 higher, once again indicating large near-bottom lateral particle input. Based on POC- normalised biomarkers in sedimenting material, we followed changes in the quality of sedimenting material with differing trap depth and on seasonal and event-related time scales. In spring fresh, diatom-dominated sedimentation occurs, with progressive degradation of POC with time (to winter) and depth (from 600 to 3220 m). Deeper traps are distinguished on the basis of opal and aluminium fluxes that are dominant in lateral input. A storm event during late September 1993 was clearly reflected in the delta N-15 isotope ratio of sedimenting material, with a time lag of 2-3 weeks. Diatom and opal fluxes were elevated in this storm-related signal, and its biomarker composition in the 600-m trap was similar to that during spring. An estimate made of upward nitrate flux (new production) at the shelf break and at the outer slope indicated a 2-fold higher new (export) production at the shelf break. Particulate organic carbon export from the shelf break to below the depth of maximal seasonal mixing ranges between 3 and 9% of primary production. [KEYWORDS: Isotopic composition; north-atlantic; goban spur; organic-matter; open-ocean; sediments; nitrogen; carbon; phytoplankton; 20-degrees-w]

Reconstructing export production at the NE Atlantic margin: potential and limits of the Ba proxy

Barium (Ba), aluminium (Al), and zirconium (Zr) were measured in sediment trap material deployed at two margin settings of the NE Atlantic: the Bay of Biscaye at Goban Spur and the NW Iberian Margin. The Particulate Organic Carbon (POC)/Ba ratios of the trapped material in both margin environments are clearly higher compared to the open ocean. Although lateral advection of POC may partly explain these higher POC/Ba ratios for margin systems, it is clear that the yield of authigenic particulate Ba during organic matter degradation in the water column is lower in margin environments. In order to assess export production in margin settings we optimised transfer functions based on trapped Ba fluxes that were originally elaborated for open ocean settings. Calculations of export production based on trapped Ba flux and POC/Ba ratio were compared with calculations based on trapped POC flux only. Export production based on Ba flux show greater internal consistency amongst traps along the same mooring, suggesting that this approach has advantages over the one based on POC flux only. Estimated export productions are of the same order of magnitude as estimates of new production, but systematically fall short of the latter. This systematic discrepancy needs further investigation.