Articles | Volume 15, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1579-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-1579-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Mar 2018
Research article |
| 15 Mar 2018
| 15 Mar 2018
Coupling physics and biogeochemistry thanks to high-resolution observations of the phytoplankton community structure in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea
Pierre Marrec
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Gérald Grégori
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Andrea M. Doglioli
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Mathilde Dugenne
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Alice Della Penna
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Nagib Bhairy
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Thierry Cariou
Sorbonne
Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, Fédération de Recherche
(FR2424), Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680, Roscoff, France
Sandra Hélias Nunige
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Soumaya Lahbib
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Gilles Rougier
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Thibaut Wagener
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
Melilotus Thyssen
Aix Marseille Univ, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, 13288, Marseille,
France
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Antonio Tovar-Sánchez, Araceli Rodríguez-Romero, Anja Engel, Birthe Zäncker, Franck Fu, Emilio Marañón, María Pérez-Lorenzo, Matthieu Bressac, Thibaut Wagener, Sylvain Triquet, Guillaume Siour, Karine Desboeufs, and Cécile Guieu
Biogeosciences, 17, 2349–2364, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2349-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2349-2020, 2020
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Pierre Garreau, Franck Dumas, Stéphanie Louazel, Stéphanie Correard, Solenn Fercocq, Marc Le Menn, Alain Serpette, Valérie Garnier, Alexandre Stegner, Briac Le Vu, Andrea Doglioli, and Gerald Gregori
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Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot, Yannis Cuypers, Andrea Doglioli, Mathieu Caffin, Christophe Yohia, Alain de Verneil, Anne Petrenko, Dominique Lefèvre, Hervé Le Goff, Gilles Rougier, Marc Picheral, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 15, 7485–7504, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7485-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7485-2018, 2018
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Audrey Gimenez, Melika Baklouti, Thibaut Wagener, and Thierry Moutin
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During the OUTPACE cruise conducted in the oligotrophic to ultra-oligotrophic region of the western tropical South Pacific, two contrasted regions were sampled in terms of N2 fixation rates, primary production rates and nutrient availability. The aim of this work was to investigate the role of N2 fixation in the differences observed between the two contrasted areas by comparing two simulations only differing by the presence or not of N2 fixers using a 1-D biogeochemical–physical coupled model.
Karine Leblanc, Véronique Cornet, Peggy Rimmelin-Maury, Olivier Grosso, Sandra Hélias-Nunige, Camille Brunet, Hervé Claustre, Joséphine Ras, Nathalie Leblond, and Bernard Quéguiner
Biogeosciences, 15, 5595–5620, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5595-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5595-2018, 2018
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The Si biogeochemical cycle was studied during two oceanographic cruises in the tropical South Pacific in 2005 and 2015, between New Caledonia and the Chilean upwelling (8–34° S). Some of the lowest levels of biogenic silica stocks were found in the southern Pacific gyre, where Chlorophyll a concentrations are most depleted worldwide. Size-fractionated biogenic silica concentrations as well as Si kinetic uptake experiments revealed biological Si uptake by the picoplanktonic size fraction.
Thibaut Wagener, Nicolas Metzl, Mathieu Caffin, Jonathan Fin, Sandra Helias Nunige, Dominique Lefevre, Claire Lo Monaco, Gilles Rougier, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 15, 5221–5236, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5221-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5221-2018, 2018
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The western tropical South Pacific was sampled along a longitudinal 4000 km transect (OUTPACE cruise) for the measurement of carbonate parameters (total alkalinity and total inorganic carbon) between the Melanesian Archipelago and the western part of the South Pacific gyre. This paper reports this new dataset and derived properties. We also estimate anthropogenic carbon distribution in the water column using the TrOCA method.
Sophie Bonnet, Mathieu Caffin, Hugo Berthelot, Olivier Grosso, Mar Benavides, Sandra Helias-Nunige, Cécile Guieu, Marcus Stenegren, and Rachel Ann Foster
Biogeosciences, 15, 4215–4232, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4215-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4215-2018, 2018
Mar Benavides, Katyanne M. Shoemaker, Pia H. Moisander, Jutta Niggemann, Thorsten Dittmar, Solange Duhamel, Olivier Grosso, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Sandra Hélias-Nunige, Alain Fumenia, and Sophie Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 15, 3107–3119, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3107-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3107-2018, 2018
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We measured N2 fixation rates and identified diazotrophic phylotypes in the mesopelagic layer along a transect spanning from New Caledonia to French Polynesia. N2 fixation rates were low but consistently detected across all depths and stations. A distinct diazotrophic phylotype dominated at 650 dbar, coinciding with the oxygenated Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) and suggesting that the distribution of aphotic diazotroph communities is to some extent controlled by water mass structure.
Thierry Moutin, Thibaut Wagener, Mathieu Caffin, Alain Fumenia, Audrey Gimenez, Melika Baklouti, Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Karine Leblanc, Dominique Lefevre, Sandra Helias Nunige, Nathalie Leblond, Olivier Grosso, and Alain de Verneil
Biogeosciences, 15, 2961–2989, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2961-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2961-2018, 2018
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Surface waters of the western tropical South Pacific were sampled along a longitudinal 4000 km transect during the stratified period between the Melanesian Archipelago and the western part of the South Pacific gyre. We found a significant biological carbon pump sustained almost exclusively by N2 fixation and essentially controlled by phosphate availability in the iron-rich Melanesian Archipelago waters which appears to be a net sink for atmospheric CO2 while the gyre is in a quasi-steady state.
Mathieu Caffin, Thierry Moutin, Rachel Ann Foster, Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot, Andrea Michelangelo Doglioli, Hugo Berthelot, Cécile Guieu, Olivier Grosso, Sandra Helias-Nunige, Nathalie Leblond, Audrey Gimenez, Anne Alexandra Petrenko, Alain de Verneil, and Sophie Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 15, 2565–2585, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2565-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2565-2018, 2018
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We performed N budgets to assess the role of N2 fixation on production and export in the western tropical South Pacific Ocean. We deployed a combination of techniques including high-sensitivity measurements of N input and sediment traps deployment. We demonstrated that N2 fixation was the major source of new N before atmospheric deposition and upward nitrate fluxes. It contributed significantly to organic matter export, indicating a high efficiency of this region to export carbon.
Louise Rousselet, Alain de Verneil, Andrea M. Doglioli, Anne A. Petrenko, Solange Duhamel, Christophe Maes, and Bruno Blanke
Biogeosciences, 15, 2411–2431, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2411-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2411-2018, 2018
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The patterns of the large- and fine-scale surface circulation on biogeochemical and biological distributions are examined in the western tropical South Pacific (WTSP) in the context of the OUTPACE oceanographic cruise. The combined use of in situ and satellite data allows for the identification of water mass transport pathways and fine-scale structures, such as fronts, that drive surface distribution of tracers and microbial community structures.
Alain de Verneil, Louise Rousselet, Andrea M. Doglioli, Anne A. Petrenko, Christophe Maes, Pascale Bouruet-Aubertot, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 15, 2125–2147, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2125-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2125-2018, 2018
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Oceanographic campaigns to measure biogeochemical processes popularly deploy drifters with onboard incubations to stay in a single body of water. Here, we aggregate physical data taken during such a cruise, OUTPACE, to independently test in a new approach whether the drifter really stayed in what can be considered a single biological or chemical environment. This study concludes that future campaigns would benefit from similar data collection and analysis to validate their sampling strategy.
Vincent Taillandier, Thibaut Wagener, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Nicolas Mayot, Hervé Legoff, Joséphine Ras, Laurent Coppola, Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault, Catherine Schmechtig, Emilie Diamond, Henry Bittig, Dominique Lefevre, Edouard Leymarie, Antoine Poteau, and Louis Prieur
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 627–641, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-627-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-627-2018, 2018
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We report on data from an oceanographic cruise, covering western, central and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea. This cruise was fully dedicated to the maintenance and the metrological verification of a biogeochemical observing system based on a fleet of BGC-Argo floats.
Alain Fumenia, Thierry Moutin, Sophie Bonnet, Mar Benavides, Anne Petrenko, Sandra Helias Nunige, and Christophe Maes
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-557, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2017-557, 2018
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The Melanesian archipelago waters between 160° E and 170° W are characterized by a significant N2 fixation rates and an excess of particulate organic nitrogen compared to the canonical ratio of Redfield and a positive N*. We hypothesize that the southern branch of the subtropical gyre is probably the main vector of excess nitrogen transport in the thermocline waters showing an influence of nitrogen fixation occurring in the western tropical in a large part of the South Pacific.
Alain de Verneil, Louise Rousselet, Andrea M. Doglioli, Anne A. Petrenko, and Thierry Moutin
Biogeosciences, 14, 3471–3486, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3471-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3471-2017, 2017
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A surface summer plankton bloom in the western tropical South Pacific was sampled during the Oligotrophy to UlTra-oligotrophy PACific Experiment (OUTPACE) cruise. We characterize the bloom's properties and the circulation responsible for its evolution. Nitrogen fixation helped sustain the bloom, and larger-scale flows, rather than the smaller ones, explain its movements. Future studies of blooms in this region can make use of these findings to track the horizontal export of plankton production.
Thierry Moutin, Andrea Michelangelo Doglioli, Alain de Verneil, and Sophie Bonnet
Biogeosciences, 14, 3207–3220, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3207-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3207-2017, 2017
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The overall goal of OUTPACE was to obtain a successful representation of the interactions between planktonic organisms and the cycle of biogenic elements in the western tropical South Pacific Ocean across trophic and N2 fixation gradients. The international OUTPACE cruise took place between 18 February and 3 April 2015 aboard the RV L’Atalante and involved 60 scientists. The transect covered ~4 000 km from the western part of the Melanesian archipelago to the western boundary of the gyre.
P. Marrec, T. Cariou, E. Macé, P. Morin, L. A. Salt, M. Vernet, B. Taylor, K. Paxman, and Y. Bozec
Biogeosciences, 12, 5371–5391, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5371-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-5371-2015, 2015
M. Thyssen, S. Alvain, A. Lefèbvre, D. Dessailly, M. Rijkeboer, N. Guiselin, V. Creach, and L.-F. Artigas
Biogeosciences, 12, 4051–4066, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4051-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-4051-2015, 2015
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Phytoplankton community structure at a high spatial resolution (<3km) was studied in the North Sea during a cruise in May 2011. A first comparison with PHYSAT reflectance anomalies enables the extrapolation of the community structure rather than a dominant type at the North Sea scale and was interpreted with its hydrological characteristics. This will seriously improve our understanding of the influence of community structure on biogeochemical processes at the daily and basin scales.
K. Desboeufs, N. Leblond, T. Wagener, E. Bon Nguyen, and C. Guieu
Biogeosciences, 11, 5581–5594, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5581-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5581-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Open Ocean
Coccolithophore abundance and production and their impacts on particulate inorganic carbon cycling in the western North Pacific
A time series analysis of transparent exopolymer particle distributions and C : N stoichiometry in the subtropical North Pacific: a key process in net community production and preformed nitrate anomalies?
Marine snow morphology drives sinking and attenuation in the ocean interior
An upper-mesopelagic-zone carbon budget for the subarctic North Pacific
Ocean alkalinity enhancement in an open-ocean ecosystem: biogeochemical responses and carbon storage durability
Relationships between the concentration of particulate organic nitrogen and the inherent optical properties of seawater in oceanic surface waters
Inadequacies in the representation of sub-seasonal phytoplankton dynamics in Earth system models
Nitrogen dynamics and nitrate stable isotopes indicate nitrogen loss in the Bay of Bengal
Interactions between ocean alkalinity enhancement and phytoplankton in an Earth System Model
A tracer study for the development of in-water monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of ship-based ocean alkalinity enhancement
Composite model-based estimate of the ocean carbon sink from 1959 to 2022
Phytoplankton community structure in relation to iron and macronutrient fluxes from subsurface waters in the western North Pacific during summer
Intense and localized export of selected marine snow types at eddy edges in the South Atlantic Ocean
Spatial distributions of iron and manganese in surface waters of the Arctic's Laptev and East Siberian seas
Climate-driven shifts in Southern Ocean primary producers and biogeochemistry in CMIP6 models
Oceanic enrichment of ammonium and its impacts on phytoplankton community composition under a high-emissions scenario
Ocean acidification trends and carbonate system dynamics across the North Atlantic subpolar gyre water masses during 2009–2019
From small scale variability to mesoscale stability in surface ocean pH: implications for air-sea CO2 equilibration
Sedimentary organic matter signature hints at the phytoplankton-driven biological carbon pump in the central Arabian Sea
Hydrological cycle amplification imposes spatial patterns on the climate change response of ocean pH and carbonate chemistry
Assessing the tropical Atlantic biogeochemical processes in the Norwegian Earth System Model
Evolution of oxygen and stratification and their relationship in the North Pacific Ocean in CMIP6 Earth system models
Evaluation of CMIP6 model performance in simulating historical biogeochemistry across the southern South China Sea
Drivers of decadal trends in the ocean carbon sink in the past, present, and future in Earth system models
Anthropogenic carbon storage and its decadal changes in the Atlantic between 1990–2020
Ocean alkalinity enhancement impacts: regrowth of marine microalgae in alkaline mineral concentrations simulating the initial concentrations after ship-based dispersions
Climatic controls on metabolic constraints in the ocean
Effects of grain size and seawater salinity on magnesium hydroxide dissolution and secondary calcium carbonate precipitation kinetics: implications for ocean alkalinity enhancement
Short-term response of Emiliania huxleyi growth and morphology to abrupt salinity stress
Assessing the impact of CO2-equilibrated ocean alkalinity enhancement on microbial metabolic rates in an oligotrophic system
Phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase activities in the eastern Mediterranean in two contrasting seasonal situations
Net primary production annual maxima in the North Atlantic projected to shift in the 21st century
Testing the influence of light on nitrite cycling in the eastern tropical North Pacific
Loss of nitrogen via anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in the California Current system during the late Quaternary
Technical note: Assessment of float pH data quality control methods – a case study in the subpolar northwest Atlantic Ocean
Linking northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes to upstream surface outcrop variations
Underestimation of multi-decadal global O2 loss due to an optimal interpolation method
Reviews and syntheses: expanding the global coverage of gross primary production and net community production measurements using Biogeochemical-Argo floats
Characteristics of surface physical and biogeochemical parameters within mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean
Seasonal dynamics and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the northwestern Mediterranean deep-convection region
The fingerprint of climate variability on the surface ocean cycling of iron and its isotopes
Reconstructing the ocean's mesopelagic zone carbon budget: sensitivity and estimation of parameters associated with prokaryotic remineralization
Seasonal cycles of biogeochemical fluxes in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean: a stable isotope approach
Absence of photophysiological response to iron addition in autumn phytoplankton in the Antarctic sea-ice zone
Optimal parameters for the ocean's nutrient, carbon, and oxygen cycles compensate for circulation biases but replumb the biological pump
Importance of multiple sources of iron for the upper-ocean biogeochemistry over the northern Indian Ocean
Exploring the role of different data types and timescales in the quality of marine biogeochemical model calibration
All about nitrite: exploring nitrite sources and sinks in the eastern tropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone
Fossil coccolith morphological attributes as a new proxy for deep ocean carbonate chemistry
Reconstructing ocean carbon storage with CMIP6 Earth system models and synthetic Argo observations
Yuye Han, Zvi Steiner, Zhimian Cao, Di Fan, Junhui Chen, Jimin Yu, and Minhan Dai
Biogeosciences, 22, 3681–3697, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3681-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3681-2025, 2025
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Our results suggest coccolithophore calcite accounts for a major fraction of PIC (particulate inorganic carbon) standing stocks in the western North Pacific, with a markedly higher contribution in the oligotrophic subtropical gyre than in the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition region, which highlights the importance of coccolithophores for PIC production in the pelagic ocean, particularly in oligotrophic ocean waters.
Kieran Curran, Tracy A. Villareal, and Robert T. Letscher
Biogeosciences, 22, 3515–3531, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3515-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3515-2025, 2025
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This work provides a 2-year record of marine organic gel concentrations from an open-ocean site in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. These microscopic gels are investigated to understand their importance as an understudied component of organic matter cycling by marine microbes. We find an important role of gel cycling during the summer months, helping explain previously contradictory estimates of nutrient supply and demand for the subtropical ocean.
Yawouvi Dodji Soviadan, Miriam Beck, Joelle Habib, Alberto Baudena, Laetitia Drago, Alexandre Accardo, Remi Laxenaire, Sabrina Speich, Peter Brandt, Rainer Kiko, and Stemmann Lars
Biogeosciences, 22, 3485–3501, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3485-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3485-2025, 2025
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Key parameters representing the gravity flux in global models are sinking speed and vertical attenuation of exported material. We calculate, for the first time, these parameters in situ in the ocean for six intermittent blooms followed by export events using high-resolution (3 d) time series of 0–1000 m depth profiles from imaging sensors mounted on an Argo float. We show that sinking speed depends not only on size but also on the morphology of the particles, with density being an important property.
Brandon M. Stephens, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Amy E. Maas, Vinícius J. Amaral, Samantha Clevenger, Shawnee Traylor, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Philip W. Boyd, Ken O. Buesseler, Craig A. Carlson, Nicolas Cassar, Margaret Estapa, Andrea J. Fassbender, Yibin Huang, Phoebe J. Lam, Olivier Marchal, Susanne Menden-Deuer, Nicola L. Paul, Alyson E. Santoro, David A. Siegel, and David P. Nicholson
Biogeosciences, 22, 3301–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3301-2025, 2025
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The ocean’s mesopelagic zone (MZ) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. This study combines new and previously published measurements of organic carbon supply and demand collected in August 2018 in the MZ of the subarctic North Pacific Ocean. Supply was insufficient to meet demand in August, but supply entering into the MZ in the spring of 2018 could have met the August demand. Results suggest observations over seasonal timescales may help to close MZ carbon budgets.
Allanah Joy Paul, Mathias Haunost, Silvan Urs Goldenberg, Jens Hartmann, Nicolás Sánchez, Julieta Schneider, Niels Suitner, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 22, 2749–2766, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2749-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2749-2025, 2025
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is being assessed for its potential to absorb atmospheric CO2 and store it for a long time. OAE still needs comprehensive assessment of its safety and effectiveness. We studied an idealised OAE application in a natural low-nutrient ecosystem over 1 month. Our results showed that biogeochemical functioning remained mostly stable but that the long-term capability for storing carbon may be limited at high alkalinity concentration.
Alain Fumenia, Hubert Loisel, Rick A. Reynolds, and Dariusz Stramski
Biogeosciences, 22, 2461–2484, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2461-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2461-2025, 2025
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Particulate organic nitrogen (PON) plays a central role in ocean biogeochemistry, yet limited in situ data hinder a full understanding of PON variability and associated processes. Measurements of optical properties offer an alternative for assessing PON across diverse marine environments. Our analysis reveals strong relationships between PON and optical properties, supporting a promising means to assess PON from optical measurements performed in situ or conducted from remote-sensing platforms.
Madhavan Girijakumari Keerthi, Olivier Aumont, Lester Kwiatkowski, and Marina Levy
Biogeosciences, 22, 2163–2180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2163-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2163-2025, 2025
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We assessed how well climate models replicate sub-seasonal changes in ocean chlorophyll observed by satellites. Models struggle to capture these variations accurately. Some overestimate fluctuations and their impact on annual chlorophyll variability, while others underestimate them. The underestimation is likely due to limited model resolution, while the overestimation may come from internal model oscillations.
Gesa Schulz, Kirstin Dähnke, Tina Sanders, Jan Penopp, Hermann W. Bange, Rena Czeschel, and Birgit Gaye
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1660, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1660, 2025
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Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are low-oxygen ocean areas that deplete nitrogen, a key marine nutrient. Understanding nitrogen cycling in OMZs is crucial for the global nitrogen cycle. This study examined nitrogen cycling in the OMZ of the Bay of Bengal and East Equatorial Indian Ocean, revealing limited mixing between both regions. Surface phytoplankton consumes nitrate, while deeper nitrification recycles nitrogen. In the BoB’s OMZ (100–300 m), nitrogen loss likely occurs via anammox.
Miriam Seifert, Christopher Danek, Christoph Völker, and Judith Hauck
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1495, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1495, 2025
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) can help to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Yet, our study is the first that investigates the link between OAE and phytoplankton in an Earth System Model. We show that OAE can indirectly decrease primary production, and that biological feedbacks can modify the efficiency of OAE. Our study provides hints for ecological risks of OAE and the quantification of carbon drawdown, and can serve as a kick-start for other models to consider OAE-ecosystem interactions.
Adam V. Subhas, Jennie E. Rheuban, Zhaohui Aleck Wang, Daniel C. McCorkle, Anna P. M. Michel, Lukas Marx, Chloe L. Dean, Kate Morkeski, Matthew G. Hayden, Mary Burkitt-Gray, Francis Elder, Yiming Guo, Heather H. Kim, and Ke Chen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1348, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1348, 2025
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Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a carbon removal approach in which alkaline materials are added to the marine environment, increasing the ocean's ability to store carbon dioxide. We conducted an open-water experiment releasing and tracking a fluorescent water tracer. Under the right conditions, in-water monitoring of OAE does appear to be possible. We conclude with a series of practical recommendations for open-water OAE monitoring.
Jens Terhaar
Biogeosciences, 22, 1631–1649, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1631-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1631-2025, 2025
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The ocean is a major natural carbon sink. Despite its importance, estimates of the ocean carbon sink remain uncertain. Here, I present a hybrid model estimate of the ocean carbon sink from 1959 to 2022. By combining ocean models in hindcast mode and Earth system models, I keep the strength of each approach and remove the respective weaknesses. This composite model estimate is similar in magnitude to the best estimate of the Global Carbon Budget but 70 % less uncertain.
Huailin Deng, Koji Suzuki, Ichiro Yasuda, Hiroshi Ogawa, and Jun Nishioka
Biogeosciences, 22, 1495–1508, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1495-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1495-2025, 2025
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Iron (Fe) and nitrate are vital for primary production in the North Pacific. Sedimentary Fe is carried by North Pacific Intermediate Water to the North Pacific, but the nutrient return path and its effect on phytoplankton are unclear. By combining Fe and macronutrient fluxes with phytoplankton composition, this study firstly revealed that Fe supply from the subsurface greatly controls diatom abundance and identified the nutrient return path in the subarctic gyre and Kuroshio–Oyashio transition area.
Alexandre Accardo, Rémi Laxenaire, Alberto Baudena, Sabrina Speich, Rainer Kiko, and Lars Stemmann
Biogeosciences, 22, 1183–1201, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1183-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1183-2025, 2025
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The open ocean helps mitigate climate change by storing CO2 via the biological carbon pump (BCP), which involves processes like organic carbon production at the surface and transferring it to the deep ocean via various pathways. By deploying an autonomous platform, we found significant marine snow accumulation from the surface to the mesopelagic zone in frontal regions between eddies. We suggest that the coupling of hydrodynamics at eddy edges and biological activity may enhance this process.
Naoya Kanna, Kazutaka Tateyama, Takuji Waseda, Anna Timofeeva, Maria Papadimitraki, Laura Whitmore, Hajime Obata, Daiki Nomura, Hiroshi Ogawa, Youhei Yamashita, and Igor Polyakov
Biogeosciences, 22, 1057–1076, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1057-2025, 2025
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This article presents data on iron and manganese, essential micronutrients for primary producers in the Arctic Laptev and East Siberian seas (LESS). There, observations were made through international cooperation with the Nansen and Amundsen Basin Observational System expedition during the late summer of 2021. The results from this study indicate that the major sources controlling the iron and manganese distributions on the LESS continental margins are river discharge and shelf sediment input.
Ben J. Fisher, Alex J. Poulton, Michael P. Meredith, Kimberlee Baldry, Oscar Schofield, and Sian F. Henley
Biogeosciences, 22, 975–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-975-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-975-2025, 2025
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The Southern Ocean is a rapidly warming environment, with subsequent impacts on ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling. This study examines changes in phytoplankton and biogeochemistry using a range of climate models. Under climate change, the Southern Ocean will be warmer, more acidic and more productive and will have reduced nutrient availability by 2100. However, there is substantial variability between models across key productivity parameters. We propose ways of reducing this uncertainty.
Pearse J. Buchanan, Juan J. Pierella Karlusich, Robyn E. Tuerena, Roxana Shafiee, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, Chris Bowler, and Alessandro Tagliabue
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3639, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3639, 2025
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Ammonium is a form of nitrogen that may become more important for growth of marine primary producers (i.e., phytoplankton) in the future. Because some phytoplankton taxa have a greater affinity for ammonium than others, the relative increase in ammonium could cause shifts in community composition. We quantify ammonium enrichment, identify its drivers, and isolate the possible effect on phytoplankton community composition under a high emissions scenario.
David Curbelo-Hernández, Fiz F. Pérez, Melchor González-Dávila, Sergey V. Gladyshev, Aridane G. González, David González-Santana, Antón Velo, Alexey Sokov, and J. Magdalena Santana-Casiano
Biogeosciences, 21, 5561–5589, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5561-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5561-2024, 2024
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The study evaluated CO2–carbonate system dynamics in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre during 2009–2019. Significant ocean acidification, largely due to rising anthropogenic CO2 levels, was found. Cooling, freshening, and enhanced convective processes intensified this trend, affecting calcite and aragonite saturation. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of ocean acidification and improve our knowledge about its impact on marine ecosystems.
Louise Delaigue, Gert-Jan Reichart, Chris Galley, Yasmina Ourradi, and Matthew Paul Humphreys
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2853, 2024
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Our study analyzed pH in ocean surface waters to understand how they fluctuate with changes in temperature, salinity, and biological activities. We found that temperature mainly controls daily pH variations, but biological processes also play a role, especially in affecting CO2 levels between the ocean and atmosphere. Our research shows how these factors together maintain the balance of ocean chemistry, which is crucial for predicting changes in marine environments.
Medhavi Pandey, Haimanti Biswas, Daniel Birgel, Nicole Burdanowitz, and Birgit Gaye
Biogeosciences, 21, 4681–4698, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4681-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4681-2024, 2024
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We analysed sea surface temperature (SST) proxy and plankton biomarkers in sediments that accumulate sinking material signatures from surface waters in the central Arabian Sea (21°–11° N, 64° E), a tropical basin impacted by monsoons. We saw a north–south SST gradient, and the biological proxies showed more organic matter from larger algae in the north. Smaller algae and zooplankton were more numerous in the south. These trends were related to ocean–atmospheric processes and oxygen availability.
Allison Hogikyan and Laure Resplandy
Biogeosciences, 21, 4621–4636, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4621-2024, 2024
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Rising atmospheric CO2 influences ocean carbon chemistry, leading to ocean acidification. Global warming introduces spatial patterns in the intensity of ocean acidification. We show that the most prominent spatial patterns are controlled by warming-driven changes in rainfall and evaporation, not by the direct effect of warming on carbon chemistry and pH. These evaporation and rainfall patterns oppose acidification in saltier parts of the ocean and enhance acidification in fresher regions.
Shunya Koseki, Lander R. Crespo, Jerry Tjiputra, Filippa Fransner, Noel S. Keenlyside, and David Rivas
Biogeosciences, 21, 4149–4168, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4149-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4149-2024, 2024
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We investigated how the physical biases of an Earth system model influence the marine biogeochemical processes in the tropical Atlantic. With four different configurations of the model, we have shown that the versions with better SST reproduction tend to better represent the primary production and air–sea CO2 flux in terms of climatology, seasonal cycle, and response to climate variability.
Lyuba Novi, Annalisa Bracco, Takamitsu Ito, and Yohei Takano
Biogeosciences, 21, 3985–4005, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3985-2024, 2024
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We explored the relationship between oxygen and stratification in the North Pacific Ocean using a combination of data mining and machine learning. We used isopycnic potential vorticity (IPV) as an indicator to quantify ocean ventilation and analyzed its predictability, a strong O2–IPV connection, and predictability for IPV in the tropical Pacific. This opens new routes for monitoring ocean O2 through few observational sites co-located with more abundant IPV measurements in the tropical Pacific.
Winfred Marshal, Jing Xiang Chung, Nur Hidayah Roseli, Roswati Md Amin, and Mohd Fadzil Bin Mohd Akhir
Biogeosciences, 21, 4007–4035, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4007-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4007-2024, 2024
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This study stands out for thoroughly examining CMIP6 ESMs' ability to simulate biogeochemical variables in the southern South China Sea, an economically important region. It assesses variables like chlorophyll, phytoplankton, nitrate, and oxygen on annual and seasonal scales. While global assessments exist, this study addresses a gap by objectively ranking 13 CMIP6 ocean biogeochemistry models' performance at a regional level, focusing on replicating specific observed biogeochemical variables.
Jens Terhaar
Biogeosciences, 21, 3903–3926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3903-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3903-2024, 2024
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Despite the ocean’s importance in the carbon cycle and hence the climate, observing the ocean carbon sink remains challenging. Here, I use an ensemble of 12 models to understand drivers of decadal trends of the past, present, and future ocean carbon sink. I show that 80 % of the decadal trends in the multi-model mean ocean carbon sink can be explained by changes in decadal trends in atmospheric CO2. The remaining 20 % are due to internal climate variability and ocean heat uptake.
Reiner Steinfeldt, Monika Rhein, and Dagmar Kieke
Biogeosciences, 21, 3839–3867, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3839-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3839-2024, 2024
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We calculate the amount of anthropogenic carbon (Cant) in the Atlantic for the years 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. Cant is the carbon that is taken up by the ocean as a result of humanmade CO2 emissions. To determine the amount of Cant, we apply a technique that is based on the observations of other humanmade gases (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons). Regionally, changes in ocean ventilation have an impact on the storage of Cant. Overall, the increase in Cant is driven by the rising CO2 in the atmosphere.
Stephanie Delacroix, Tor Jensen Nystuen, August E. Dessen Tobiesen, Andrew L. King, and Erik Höglund
Biogeosciences, 21, 3677–3690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3677-2024, 2024
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The addition of alkaline minerals into the ocean might reduce excessive anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Magnesium hydroxide can be added in large amounts because of its low seawater solubility without reaching harmful pH levels. The toxicity effect results of magnesium hydroxide, by simulating the expected concentrations from a ship's dispersion scenario, demonstrated low impacts on both sensitive and local assemblages of marine microalgae when compared to calcium hydroxide.
Precious Mongwe, Matthew Long, Takamitsu Ito, Curtis Deutsch, and Yeray Santana-Falcón
Biogeosciences, 21, 3477–3490, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3477-2024, 2024
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We use a collection of measurements that capture the physiological sensitivity of organisms to temperature and oxygen and a CESM1 large ensemble to investigate how natural climate variations and climate warming will impact the ability of marine heterotrophic marine organisms to support habitats in the future. We find that warming and dissolved oxygen loss over the next several decades will reduce the volume of ocean habitats and will increase organisms' vulnerability to extremes.
Charly A. Moras, Tyler Cyronak, Lennart T. Bach, Renaud Joannes-Boyau, and Kai G. Schulz
Biogeosciences, 21, 3463–3475, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3463-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3463-2024, 2024
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We investigate the effects of mineral grain size and seawater salinity on magnesium hydroxide dissolution and calcium carbonate precipitation kinetics for ocean alkalinity enhancement. Salinity did not affect the dissolution, but calcium carbonate formed earlier at lower salinities due to the lower magnesium and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Smaller grain sizes dissolved faster but calcium carbonate precipitated earlier, suggesting that medium grain sizes are optimal for kinetics.
Rosie M. Sheward, Christina Gebühr, Jörg Bollmann, and Jens O. Herrle
Biogeosciences, 21, 3121–3141, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3121-2024, 2024
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How quickly do marine microorganisms respond to salinity stress? Our experiments with the calcifying marine plankton Emiliania huxleyi show that growth and cell morphology responded to salinity stress within as little as 24–48 hours, demonstrating that morphology and calcification are sensitive to salinity over a range of timescales. Our results have implications for understanding the short-term role of E. huxleyi in biogeochemical cycles and in size-based paleoproxies for salinity.
Laura Marín-Samper, Javier Arístegui, Nauzet Hernández-Hernández, Joaquín Ortiz, Stephen D. Archer, Andrea Ludwig, and Ulf Riebesell
Biogeosciences, 21, 2859–2876, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2859-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2859-2024, 2024
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Our planet is facing a climate crisis. Scientists are working on innovative solutions that will aid in capturing the hard to abate emissions before it is too late. Exciting research reveals that ocean alkalinity enhancement, a key climate change mitigation strategy, does not harm phytoplankton, the cornerstone of marine ecosystems. Through meticulous study, we may have uncovered a positive relationship: up to a specific limit, enhancing ocean alkalinity boosts photosynthesis by certain species.
France Van Wambeke, Pascal Conan, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Vincent Taillandier, Olivier Crispi, Alexandra Pavlidou, Sandra Nunige, Morgane Didry, Christophe Salmeron, and Elvira Pulido-Villena
Biogeosciences, 21, 2621–2640, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2621-2024, 2024
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Phosphomonoesterase (PME) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) activities over the epipelagic zone are described in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in winter and autumn. The types of concentration kinetics obtained for PDE (saturation at 50 µM, high Km, high turnover times) compared to those of PME (saturation at 1 µM, low Km, low turnover times) are discussed in regard to the possible inequal distribution of PDE and PME in the size continuum of organic material and accessibility to phosphodiesters.
Jenny Hieronymus, Magnus Hieronymus, Matthias Gröger, Jörg Schwinger, Raffaele Bernadello, Etienne Tourigny, Valentina Sicardi, Itzel Ruvalcaba Baroni, and Klaus Wyser
Biogeosciences, 21, 2189–2206, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2189-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2189-2024, 2024
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The timing of the net primary production annual maxima in the North Atlantic in the period 1750–2100 is investigated using two Earth system models and the high-emissions scenario SSP5-8.5. It is found that, for most of the region, the annual maxima occur progressively earlier, with the most change occurring after the year 2000. Shifts in the seasonality of the primary production may impact the entire ecosystem, which highlights the need for long-term monitoring campaigns in this area.
Nicole M. Travis, Colette L. Kelly, and Karen L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 21, 1985–2004, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1985-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1985-2024, 2024
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We conducted experimental manipulations of light level on microbial communities from the primary nitrite maximum. Overall, while individual microbial processes have different directions and magnitudes in their response to increasing light, the net community response is a decline in nitrite production with increasing light. We conclude that while increased light may decrease net nitrite production, high-light conditions alone do not exclude nitrification from occurring in the surface ocean.
Zoë Rebecca van Kemenade, Zeynep Erdem, Ellen Christine Hopmans, Jaap Smede Sinninghe Damsté, and Darci Rush
Biogeosciences, 21, 1517–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1517-2024, 2024
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The California Current system (CCS) hosts the eastern subtropical North Pacific oxygen minimum zone (ESTNP OMZ). This study shows anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria cause a loss of bioavailable nitrogen (N) in the ESTNP OMZ throughout the late Quaternary. Anammox occurred during both glacial and interglacial periods and was driven by the supply of organic matter and changes in ocean currents. These findings may have important consequences for biogeochemical models of the CCS.
Cathy Wimart-Rousseau, Tobias Steinhoff, Birgit Klein, Henry Bittig, and Arne Körtzinger
Biogeosciences, 21, 1191–1211, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1191-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1191-2024, 2024
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The marine CO2 system can be measured independently and continuously by BGC-Argo floats since numerous pH sensors have been developed to suit these autonomous measurements platforms. By applying the Argo correction routines to float pH data acquired in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean, we report the uncertainty and lack of objective criteria associated with the choice of the reference method as well the reference depth for the pH correction.
Sabine Mecking and Kyla Drushka
Biogeosciences, 21, 1117–1133, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1117-2024, 2024
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This study investigates whether northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes may be caused by surface density changes in the northwest as water moves along density horizons from the surface into the subsurface ocean. A correlation is found with a lag that about matches the travel time of water from the northwest to the northeast. Salinity is the main driver causing decadal changes in surface density, whereas salinity and temperature contribute about equally to long-term declining density trends.
Takamitsu Ito, Hernan E. Garcia, Zhankun Wang, Shoshiro Minobe, Matthew C. Long, Just Cebrian, James Reagan, Tim Boyer, Christopher Paver, Courtney Bouchard, Yohei Takano, Seth Bushinsky, Ahron Cervania, and Curtis A. Deutsch
Biogeosciences, 21, 747–759, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-747-2024, 2024
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This study aims to estimate how much oceanic oxygen has been lost and its uncertainties. One major source of uncertainty comes from the statistical gap-filling methods. Outputs from Earth system models are used to generate synthetic observations where oxygen data are extracted from the model output at the location and time of historical oceanographic cruises. Reconstructed oxygen trend is approximately two-thirds of the true trend.
Robert W. Izett, Katja Fennel, Adam C. Stoer, and David P. Nicholson
Biogeosciences, 21, 13–47, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-13-2024, 2024
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This paper provides an overview of the capacity to expand the global coverage of marine primary production estimates using autonomous ocean-going instruments, called Biogeochemical-Argo floats. We review existing approaches to quantifying primary production using floats, provide examples of the current implementation of the methods, and offer insights into how they can be better exploited. This paper is timely, given the ongoing expansion of the Biogeochemical-Argo array.
Qian Liu, Yingjie Liu, and Xiaofeng Li
Biogeosciences, 20, 4857–4874, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4857-2023, 2023
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In the Southern Ocean, abundant eddies behave opposite to our expectations. That is, anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies are cold (warm). By investigating the variations of physical and biochemical parameters in eddies, we find that abnormal eddies have unique and significant effects on modulating the parameters. This study fills a gap in understanding the effects of abnormal eddies on physical and biochemical parameters in the Southern Ocean.
Caroline Ulses, Claude Estournel, Patrick Marsaleix, Karline Soetaert, Marine Fourrier, Laurent Coppola, Dominique Lefèvre, Franck Touratier, Catherine Goyet, Véronique Guglielmi, Fayçal Kessouri, Pierre Testor, and Xavier Durrieu de Madron
Biogeosciences, 20, 4683–4710, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, 2023
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Deep convection plays a key role in the circulation, thermodynamics, and biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea, considered to be a hotspot of biodiversity and climate change. In this study, we investigate the seasonal and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep-convection area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
Daniela König and Alessandro Tagliabue
Biogeosciences, 20, 4197–4212, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4197-2023, 2023
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Using model simulations, we show that natural and anthropogenic changes in the global climate leave a distinct fingerprint in the isotopic signatures of iron in the surface ocean. We find that these climate effects on iron isotopes are often caused by the redistribution of iron from different external sources to the ocean, due to changes in ocean currents, and by changes in algal growth, which take up iron. Thus, isotopes may help detect climate-induced changes in iron supply and algal uptake.
Chloé Baumas, Robin Fuchs, Marc Garel, Jean-Christophe Poggiale, Laurent Memery, Frédéric A. C. Le Moigne, and Christian Tamburini
Biogeosciences, 20, 4165–4182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4165-2023, 2023
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Through the sink of particles in the ocean, carbon (C) is exported and sequestered when reaching 1000 m. Attempts to quantify C exported vs. C consumed by heterotrophs have increased. Yet most of the conducted estimations have led to C demands several times higher than C export. The choice of parameters greatly impacts the results. As theses parameters are overlooked, non-accurate values are often used. In this study we show that C budgets can be well balanced when using appropriate values.
Anna Belcher, Sian F. Henley, Katharine Hendry, Marianne Wootton, Lisa Friberg, Ursula Dallman, Tong Wang, Christopher Coath, and Clara Manno
Biogeosciences, 20, 3573–3591, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3573-2023, 2023
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The oceans play a crucial role in the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide, particularly the Southern Ocean. The biological pumping of carbon from the surface to the deep ocean is key to this. Using sediment trap samples from the Scotia Sea, we examine biogeochemical fluxes of carbon, nitrogen, and biogenic silica and their stable isotope compositions. We find phytoplankton community structure and physically mediated processes are important controls on particulate fluxes to the deep ocean.
Asmita Singh, Susanne Fietz, Sandy J. Thomalla, Nicolas Sanchez, Murat V. Ardelan, Sébastien Moreau, Hanna M. Kauko, Agneta Fransson, Melissa Chierici, Saumik Samanta, Thato N. Mtshali, Alakendra N. Roychoudhury, and Thomas J. Ryan-Keogh
Biogeosciences, 20, 3073–3091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3073-2023, 2023
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Despite the scarcity of iron in the Southern Ocean, seasonal blooms occur due to changes in nutrient and light availability. Surprisingly, during an autumn bloom in the Antarctic sea-ice zone, the results from incubation experiments showed no significant photophysiological response of phytoplankton to iron addition. This suggests that ambient iron concentrations were sufficient, challenging the notion of iron deficiency in the Southern Ocean through extended iron-replete post-bloom conditions.
Benoît Pasquier, Mark Holzer, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Richard J. Matear, Nathaniel L. Bindoff, and François W. Primeau
Biogeosciences, 20, 2985–3009, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2985-2023, 2023
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Modeling the ocean's carbon and oxygen cycles accurately is challenging. Parameter optimization improves the fit to observed tracers but can introduce artifacts in the biological pump. Organic-matter production and subsurface remineralization rates adjust to compensate for circulation biases, changing the pathways and timescales with which nutrients return to the surface. Circulation biases can thus strongly alter the system’s response to ecological change, even when parameters are optimized.
Priyanka Banerjee
Biogeosciences, 20, 2613–2643, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2613-2023, 2023
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This study shows that atmospheric deposition is the most important source of iron to the upper northern Indian Ocean for phytoplankton growth. This is followed by iron from continental-shelf sediment. Phytoplankton increase following iron addition is possible only with high background levels of nitrate. Vertical mixing is the most important physical process supplying iron to the upper ocean in this region throughout the year. The importance of ocean currents in supplying iron varies seasonally.
Iris Kriest, Julia Getzlaff, Angela Landolfi, Volkmar Sauerland, Markus Schartau, and Andreas Oschlies
Biogeosciences, 20, 2645–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2645-2023, 2023
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Global biogeochemical ocean models are often subjectively assessed and tuned against observations. We applied different strategies to calibrate a global model against observations. Although the calibrated models show similar tracer distributions at the surface, they differ in global biogeochemical fluxes, especially in global particle flux. Simulated global volume of oxygen minimum zones varies strongly with calibration strategy and over time, rendering its temporal extrapolation difficult.
John C. Tracey, Andrew R. Babbin, Elizabeth Wallace, Xin Sun, Katherine L. DuRussel, Claudia Frey, Donald E. Martocello III, Tyler Tamasi, Sergey Oleynik, and Bess B. Ward
Biogeosciences, 20, 2499–2523, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2499-2023, 2023
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Nitrogen (N) is essential for life; thus, its availability plays a key role in determining marine productivity. Using incubations of seawater spiked with a rare form of N measurable on a mass spectrometer, we quantified microbial pathways that determine marine N availability. The results show that pathways that recycle N have higher rates than those that result in its loss from biomass and present new evidence for anaerobic nitrite oxidation, a process long thought to be strictly aerobic.
Amanda Gerotto, Hongrui Zhang, Renata Hanae Nagai, Heather M. Stoll, Rubens César Lopes Figueira, Chuanlian Liu, and Iván Hernández-Almeida
Biogeosciences, 20, 1725–1739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1725-2023, 2023
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Based on the analysis of the response of coccolithophores’ morphological attributes in a laboratory dissolution experiment and surface sediment samples from the South China Sea, we proposed that the thickness shape (ks) factor of fossil coccoliths together with the normalized ks variation, which is the ratio of the standard deviation of ks (σ) over the mean ks (σ/ks), is a robust and novel proxy to reconstruct past changes in deep ocean carbon chemistry.
Katherine E. Turner, Doug M. Smith, Anna Katavouta, and Richard G. Williams
Biogeosciences, 20, 1671–1690, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1671-2023, 2023
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We present a new method for reconstructing ocean carbon using climate models and temperature and salinity observations. To test this method, we reconstruct modelled carbon using synthetic observations consistent with current sampling programmes. Sensitivity tests show skill in reconstructing carbon trends and variability within the upper 2000 m. Our results indicate that this method can be used for a new global estimate for ocean carbon content.
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Short summary
The objective of this study was to better understand the variability of the phytoplankton community structure in small physical structures at the surface of the ocean. After identifying such a structure in the Mediterranean Sea, we deployed cutting-edge physical and biological sensors in order to observe at a high frequency the dynamics of this structure. From these observations we described the variations of the phytoplankton community structure and how the physics controls this variability.
The objective of this study was to better understand the variability of the phytoplankton...
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