Salp blooms drive strong increases in passive carbon export in the Southern Ocean
Décima, M.; Stukel, M.R.; Nodder, S.D.; Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, A.; Selph, K.E.; dos Santos, A.L.; Safi, K.; Kelly, T.B.; Deans, F.; Morales, S.E.; Baltar, F.; Latasa, M.; Gorbunov, M.Y.; Pinkerton, M. (2023). Salp blooms drive strong increases in passive carbon export in the Southern Ocean. Nature Comm. 14(1): 425. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35204-6
In: Nature Communications. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2041-1723; e-ISSN 2041-1723, meer
|   |
| Auteurs | | Top |
- Décima, M.
- Stukel, M.R.
- Nodder, S.D.
- Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, A.
- Selph, K.E.
|
- dos Santos, A.L.
- Safi, K.
- Kelly, T.B.
- Deans, F.
- Morales, S.E.
|
- Baltar, F.
- Latasa, M.
- Gorbunov, M.Y.
- Pinkerton, M.
|
| Abstract |
The Southern Ocean contributes substantially to the global biological carbon pump (BCP). Salps in the Southern Ocean, in particular Salpa thompsoni, are important grazers that produce large, fast-sinking fecal pellets. Here, we quantify the salp bloom impacts on microbial dynamics and the BCP, by contrasting locations differing in salp bloom presence/absence. Salp blooms coincide with phytoplankton dominated by diatoms or prymnesiophytes, depending on water mass characteristics. Their grazing is comparable to microzooplankton during their early bloom, resulting in a decrease of ~1/3 of primary production, and negative phytoplankton rates of change are associated with all salp locations. Particle export in salp waters is always higher, ranging 2- to 8- fold (average 5-fold), compared to non-salp locations, exporting up to 46% of primary production out of the euphotic zone. BCP efficiency increases from 5 to 28% in salp areas, which is among the highest recorded in the global ocean. |
|
