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Published on: June 13, 2020
Mesoscale eddies drive increased silica export in the subtropical Pacific Ocean
Claudia R Benitez-Nelson1, Robert R Bidigare, Tommy D Dickey
1Department of Geological Sciences and Marine Science Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. cbnelson@geol.sc.edu
Abstract:
Mesoscale eddies may play a critical role in ocean biogeochemistry by increasing nutrient supply, primary production, and efficiency of the biological pump, that is, the ratio of carbon export to primary production in otherwise nutrient-deficient waters. We examined a diatom bloom within a cold-core cyclonic eddy off Hawaii. Eddy primary production, community biomass, and size composition were markedly enhanced but had little effect on the carbon export ratio. Instead, the system functioned as a selective silica pump. Strong trophic coupling and inefficient organic export may be general characteristics of community perturbation responses in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean.
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