Articles | Volume 17, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1765-2020
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1765-2020
Research article
 | 
03 Apr 2020
Research article |  | 03 Apr 2020

Microstructure and composition of marine aggregates as co-determinants for vertical particulate organic carbon transfer in the global ocean

Joeran Maerz, Katharina D. Six, Irene Stemmler, Soeren Ahmerkamp, and Tatiana Ilyina

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Cited articles

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Alldredge, A.: The carbon, nitrogen and mass content of marine snow as a function of aggregate size, Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 45, 529–541, 1998. a
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Short summary
Marine micro-algae bind carbon dioxide, CO2. During their decay, snowflake-like aggregates form that sink, remineralize and transport organically bound CO2 to depth; this is referred to as the biological carbon pump. In our model study, we elucidate how variable aggregate composition impacts the global pattern of vertical carbon fluxes. Our mechanistic model approach advances the representation of the global biological carbon pump and promotes a more realistic projection under climate change.
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