Articles | Volume 22, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2309-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-22-2309-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
19 May 2025
Research article |
| 19 May 2025
| 19 May 2025
The bacteria–protist link as a main route of dissolved organic matter across contrasting productivity areas on the Patagonian Shelf
M. Celeste López-Abbate
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
John E. Garzón-Cardona
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional del Sur, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Ricardo Silva
Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo Pesquero (INIDEP), B7602HSA, Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Juan-Carlos Molinero
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), UMR248 MARBEC, IRD/CNRS/IFREMER/UM, Sète CEDEX, France
Laura A. Ruiz-Etcheverry
Departamento de Ciencias de La Atmósfera y Los Océanos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires (DCAO, FCEN-UBA), Ciudad Universitaria, Pabellón II 2do. Piso, C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Centro de Investigaciones Del Mar y La Atmósfera (CIMA/CONICET-UBA), C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Instituto Franco-Argentino para El Estudio Del Clima y Sus Impactos (IRL-IFAECI/CNRS-CONICET-UBA), C1428EGA Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Ana M. Martínez
Instituto de Química del Sur (INQUISUR-CONICET), Universidad Nacional del Sur, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Azul S. Gilabert
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Departamento de Geografía y Turismo (DGyT), Universidad Nacional del Sur, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
Rubén J. Lara
Instituto Argentino de Oceanografía (CONICET-UNS), Camino La Carrindanga km 7.5, 8000 Bahía Blanca, Argentina
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Wind variability drives coherent variability in surface temperature, salinity, and sea level across the Patagonian shelves of South America. Our findings suggest that southerly winds enhance Pacific coastal upwelling, export fresh waters offshore, weaken the Cape Horn Current, and strengthen northward transport of cold, salty subantarctic waters over the Atlantic shelf, while northerly winds reverse these patterns, revealing wind-driven modulation of shelf circulation and interocean exchanges.
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Short summary
This study explores how microbial dynamics influence the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool in the Patagonian Shelf. Despite high phytoplankton biomass, selective grazing on fast-growing bacteria led to DOM accumulation, likely due to reduced DOM-consuming bacteria and added egestion compounds. Experiments showed that bacteria not only acted as a carbon sink through mineralization but also transferred assimilated carbon dioxide (CO2) to higher trophic levels.
This study explores how microbial dynamics influence the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool in...
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