Can Rates of Ocean Primary Production and Biological Carbon Export Be Related Through Their Probability...

Area of Science:

• Biogeochemistry
• Oceanography
• Ecology

Background:

• Phytoplankton primary production (p) and biological carbon export (f) are key ocean processes.
• These fluxes are mechanistically linked but measured on different scales and exhibit variability.
• Understanding their relationship is crucial for marine ecosystem and carbon cycle research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a theoretical framework for interpreting biogeochemical fluxes (p and f) using probability distributions.
• To test the hypothesis that collections of p and f measurements exhibit a quantitative relationship.
• To explore the utility of a distributional approach for analyzing these oceanographic fluxes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized compilations of phytoplankton primary production (p) and biological carbon export (f) measurements.
• Applied a null model hypothesizing lognormal distributions for large-scale p and f.
• Inferred statistical scaling relationships and derived linear relationships between the log-moments of their distributions.

Main Results:

• Compilations of p and f measurements are consistent with lognormal distribution hypotheses.
• Subsets of p measurements (by biome, basin, depth, season) are also well-described by lognormals.
• A statistical scaling relationship between p and f was inferred, with consistent estimates for its slope and intercept.

Conclusions:

• The distributional approach provides a valuable framework for interpreting biogeochemical fluxes.
• The distribution of f measurements aligns with predictions derived from the moments of the p distribution.
• This approach offers potential for further development and application in marine science.