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La exportación de carbono profundo de una diatomea fertilizada con hierro del Océano Austral florece
Victor Smetacek1, Christine Klaas, Volker H Strass
1Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany. victor.smetacek@awi.de
Nature
|July 20, 2012
Resumen
La fertilización de hierro en los océanos estimula la floración de las diatomeas, atrayendo dióxido de carbono. La mayor parte de la biomasa floreciente se hundió profundamente, lo que sugiere un secuestro de carbono a largo plazo en las profundidades del océano y los sedimentos.
Área de la Ciencia:
- Oceanografía La oceanografía es la oceanografía.
- Ecología marina Ecología marina.
- Biogeoquímica La biogeoquímica es la bioquímica.
Sus antecedentes:
- La fertilización del océano con hierro puede estimular el crecimiento del fitoplancton, lo que lleva a la absorción de dióxido de carbono.
- Estudios anteriores carecían de claridad sobre el destino de la biomasa de floración y el potencial de secuestro de carbono a largo plazo.
Objetivo del estudio:
- Para rastrear el destino de la biomasa de una flor de diatomeas fertilizada con hierro en la Corriente Circumpolar Antártica.
- Para determinar las escalas de tiempo de secuestro de carbono resultante de tales florecimientos.
Principales métodos:
- Realizó un experimento de cinco semanas dentro de un remolino de mesoescala.
- Monitoreo de partículas que se hunden desde la superficie del océano hasta el fondo del mar profundo.
- Se analizó la dinámica de la floración y la agregación de biomasa.
Principales resultados:
- Se produjo una floración significativa de diatomeas, seguida de una mortalidad masiva y la formación de agregados que se hundían rápidamente.
- La evidencia sugiere que al menos la mitad de la biomasa de la floración se hundió por debajo de los 1.000 metros.
- Es probable que una parte sustancial de esta biomasa haya llegado al fondo marino.
Conclusiones:
- Las flores de diatomeas fertilizadas con hierro pueden conducir a una importante exportación de carbono a las profundidades del océano.
- Este proceso tiene el potencial de secuestro de carbono que dura siglos en las profundidades del mar y más en los sedimentos.
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