Articles | Volume 22, issue 13
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-3301-2025
© 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-22-3301-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
10 Jul 2025
Research article |
| 10 Jul 2025
| 10 Jul 2025
An upper-mesopelagic-zone carbon budget for the subarctic North Pacific
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106319, Taiwan
Montserrat Roca-Martí
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA-UAB), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès 08193, Spain
Amy E. Maas
Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, School of Ocean Futures, Arizona State University, St. George's, GE01, Bermuda
Vinícius J. Amaral
Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Samantha Clevenger
MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, MA 02139, USA
Shawnee Traylor
MIT-WHOI Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, Cambridge and Woods Hole, MA 02139, USA
Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson
School of the Earth, Ocean and Environment, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
Philip W. Boyd
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia
Ken O. Buesseler
Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Craig A. Carlson
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Nicolas Cassar
Division of Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
CNRS, Université de Brest, IRD, Ifremer, LEMAR, 29280 Plouzané, France
Margaret Estapa
School of Marine Sciences, Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, ME 04573, USA
Andrea J. Fassbender
NOAA/OAR Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Seattle, WA 98115, USA
Yibin Huang
State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, FJ 350800, China
Phoebe J. Lam
Department of Ocean Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Olivier Marchal
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
Susanne Menden-Deuer
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA
Nicola L. Paul
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Alyson E. Santoro
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
David A. Siegel
Earth Research Institute and Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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To investigate the physical changes in the ocean from winter to spring and the corresponding biological activities, two automated floats were used to conduct observations in the western North Pacific from January to April 2018. During the observation, repeated storms passed and mixed the ocean surface layer. Afterwards, active biological activity was observed. Using data from the float, we observed the formation, decomposition, and settling of particulate organic matter.
Chiho Sukigara, Ryuichiro Inoue, Kanako Sato, Yoshihisa Mino, Takeyoshi Nagai, Andrea J. Fassbender, Yuichiro Takeshita, and Eitarou Oka
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Manuscript not accepted for further review
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Andrea J. Fassbender, James C. Orr, and Andrew G. Dickson
Biogeosciences, 18, 1407–1415, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1407-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1407-2021, 2021
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A decline in upper-ocean pH with time is typically ascribed to ocean acidification. A more quantitative interpretation is often confused by failing to recognize the implications of pH being a logarithmic transform of hydrogen ion concentration rather than an absolute measure. This can lead to an unwitting misinterpretation of pH data. We provide three real-world examples illustrating this and recommend the reporting of both hydrogen ion concentration and pH in studies of ocean chemical change.
Fuminori Hashihama, Hiroaki Saito, Taketoshi Kodama, Saori Yasui-Tamura, Jota Kanda, Iwao Tanita, Hiroshi Ogawa, E. Malcolm S. Woodward, Philip W. Boyd, and Ken Furuya
Biogeosciences, 18, 897–915, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-897-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-897-2021, 2021
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We investigated the nutrient assimilation characteristics of deep-water-induced phytoplankton blooms across the subtropical North and South Pacific Ocean. Nutrient drawdown ratios of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to phosphate were anomalously low in the western North Pacific, likely due to the high phosphate uptake capability of low-phosphate-adapted phytoplankton. The anomalous phosphate uptake might influence the maintenance of chronic phosphate depletion in the western North Pacific.
Sebastian Landwehr, Iris Thurnherr, Nicolas Cassar, Martin Gysel-Beer, and Julia Schmale
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 3487–3506, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3487-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-3487-2020, 2020
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Christina Schallenberg, Robert F. Strzepek, Nina Schuback, Lesley A. Clementson, Philip W. Boyd, and Thomas W. Trull
Biogeosciences, 17, 793–812, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-793-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-793-2020, 2020
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Measurements of phytoplankton health still require the use of research vessels and are thus costly and sparse. In this paper we propose a new way to assess the health of phytoplankton using simple fluorescence measurements, which can be made autonomously. In the Southern Ocean, where the most limiting nutrient for phytoplankton is iron, we found a relationship between iron limitation and the depression of fluorescence under high light, the so-called non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence.
Cara C. Manning, Rachel H. R. Stanley, David P. Nicholson, Brice Loose, Ann Lovely, Peter Schlosser, and Bruce G. Hatcher
Biogeosciences, 16, 3351–3376, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3351-2019, 2019
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We measured rates of biological activity and gas exchange in a Canadian estuary during ice melt. We quantified gas exchange using inert, deliberately released tracers and found that the gas transfer rate at > 90 % ice cover was 6 % of the rate for nearly ice-free conditions. We measured oxygen concentration and isotopic composition and used the data to detect changes in the rates of photosynthesis and respiration (autotrophy and heterotrophy) as the ice melted.
Yi Tang, Nolwenn Lemaitre, Maxi Castrillejo, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Pere Masqué, and Gillian Stewart
Biogeosciences, 16, 309–327, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-309-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-309-2019, 2019
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Oceanographers try to understand the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle. Trace levels of natural radionuclides can inform this connection and their half-lives provide an estimate of the timing of processes. We used the 210Po and 210Pb pair to examine the export of carbon from the surface ocean to depth along the GEOVIDE GEOTRACES cruise track. We found that the flux was regionally variable, that upwelling was an important regional factor, and that both large and small particles drove flux.
Chris J. Daniels, Alex J. Poulton, William M. Balch, Emilio Marañón, Tim Adey, Bruce C. Bowler, Pedro Cermeño, Anastasia Charalampopoulou, David W. Crawford, Dave Drapeau, Yuanyuan Feng, Ana Fernández, Emilio Fernández, Glaucia M. Fragoso, Natalia González, Lisa M. Graziano, Rachel Heslop, Patrick M. Holligan, Jason Hopkins, María Huete-Ortega, David A. Hutchins, Phoebe J. Lam, Michael S. Lipsen, Daffne C. López-Sandoval, Socratis Loucaides, Adrian Marchetti, Kyle M. J. Mayers, Andrew P. Rees, Cristina Sobrino, Eithne Tynan, and Toby Tyrrell
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1859–1876, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1859-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1859-2018, 2018
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Calcifying marine algae (coccolithophores) are key to oceanic biogeochemical processes, such as calcium carbonate production and export. We compile a global database of calcium carbonate production from field samples (n = 2756), alongside primary production rates and coccolithophore abundance. Basic statistical analysis highlights global distribution, average surface and integrated rates, patterns with depth and the importance of considering cell-normalised rates as a simple physiological index.
Samuel T. Wilson, Hermann W. Bange, Damian L. Arévalo-Martínez, Jonathan Barnes, Alberto V. Borges, Ian Brown, John L. Bullister, Macarena Burgos, David W. Capelle, Michael Casso, Mercedes de la Paz, Laura Farías, Lindsay Fenwick, Sara Ferrón, Gerardo Garcia, Michael Glockzin, David M. Karl, Annette Kock, Sarah Laperriere, Cliff S. Law, Cara C. Manning, Andrew Marriner, Jukka-Pekka Myllykangas, John W. Pohlman, Andrew P. Rees, Alyson E. Santoro, Philippe D. Tortell, Robert C. Upstill-Goddard, David P. Wisegarver, Gui-Ling Zhang, and Gregor Rehder
Biogeosciences, 15, 5891–5907, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5891-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5891-2018, 2018
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To determine the variability between independent measurements of dissolved methane and nitrous oxide, seawater samples were analyzed by multiple laboratories. The results revealed the influences of the different parts of the analytical process, from the initial sample collection to the calculation of the final concentrations. Recommendations are made to improve dissolved methane and nitrous oxide measurements to help preclude future analytical discrepancies between laboratories.
Yi Tang, Maxi Castrillejo, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Pere Masqué, Nolwenn Lemaitre, and Gillian Stewart
Biogeosciences, 15, 5437–5453, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5437-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5437-2018, 2018
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We measured two natural radio-isotopes, 210Po and 210Pb, in the dissolved and particulate phase along the GEOVIDE cruise track to try to understand the cycling of these isotopes across a diverse combination of currents, basins, and conditions in the North Atlantic Ocean. Other groups collected data on many other trace elements and isotopes in order to map them as part of the GEOTRACES program. We found that Po and Pb activity was concentrated on small particles and varied within/between basins.
Andrea J. Fassbender, Simone R. Alin, Richard A. Feely, Adrienne J. Sutton, Jan A. Newton, Christopher Krembs, Julia Bos, Mya Keyzers, Allan Devol, Wendi Ruef, and Greg Pelletier
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 1367–1401, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1367-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-1367-2018, 2018
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Ocean acidification (OA) is difficult to identify in coastal marine waters due to the magnitude of natural variability and lack of historical baseline information. To provide regional context for ongoing research, adaptation, and management efforts, we have collated high-quality publicly available data to characterize seasonal cycles of OA-relevant parameters in the Pacific Northwest marine surface waters. Large nonstationary chemical gradients from the open ocean into the Salish Sea are found.
Yuanyuan Feng, Michael Y. Roleda, Evelyn Armstrong, Cliff S. Law, Philip W. Boyd, and Catriona L. Hurd
Biogeosciences, 15, 581–595, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-581-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-581-2018, 2018
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We conducted a series of incubation experiments to understand how the changes in five environmental drivers will affect the elemental composition of the calcifying phytoplankton species Emiliania huxleyi. These findings provide new diagnostic information to aid our understanding of how the physiology and the related marine biogeochemistry of the ecologically important species Emiliania huxleyi will respond to changes in different environmental drivers in the global climate change scenario.
Zuchuan Li and Nicolas Cassar
Biogeosciences, 14, 5015–5027, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5015-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5015-2017, 2017
Matthew Osman, Sarah B. Das, Olivier Marchal, and Matthew J. Evans
The Cryosphere, 11, 2439–2462, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2439-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2439-2017, 2017
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We combine a synthesis of 22 ice core records and a model of soluble impurity transport to investigate the enigmatic, post-depositional migration of methanesulfonic acid in polar ice. Our findings suggest that migration may be universal across coastal regions of Greenland and Antarctica, though it is mitigated at sites with higher accumulation and (or) lower impurity content. Records exhibiting severe migration may still be useful for inferring decadal and lower-frequency climate variability.
Mak A. Saito, Abigail E. Noble, Nicholas Hawco, Benjamin S. Twining, Daniel C. Ohnemus, Seth G. John, Phoebe Lam, Tim M. Conway, Rod Johnson, Dawn Moran, and Matthew McIlvin
Biogeosciences, 14, 4637–4662, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4637-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4637-2017, 2017
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Cobalt has the smallest oceanic inventory of all known inorganic micronutrients, and hence is particularly vulnerable to influence by internal oceanic processes. The stoichiometry of cobalt was studied in the North Atlantic, and interpreted with regard to the context of Redfield theory with a focus on biological uptake, scavenging, and the coupling between dissolved and particulate phases. The stoichiometry of cobalt accelerated towards the surface due to increased biological activity and use.
Abigail E. Noble, Daniel C. Ohnemus, Nicholas J. Hawco, Phoebe J. Lam, and Mak A. Saito
Biogeosciences, 14, 2715–2739, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2715-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-2715-2017, 2017
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This study examines sources and sinks of dissolved and labile cobalt in the North Atlantic Ocean. The North and South Atlantic are influenced differently by dust, coastal margin sources, biota, and suspended particles. Dissolved cobalt in both basins is driven by a coastal margin source, leading to large plumes emanating from the north and south African coasts. These plumes are comparable in size despite the high dust flux observed in the North Atlantic that is absent in the South Atlantic.
S. Z. Rosengard, P. J. Lam, W. M. Balch, M. E. Auro, S. Pike, D. Drapeau, and B. Bowler
Biogeosciences, 12, 3953–3971, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3953-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-3953-2015, 2015
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The transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) into the deep ocean is an important atmospheric carbon dioxide sink. Observations from the Southern Ocean Great Calcite Belt region show that the relationship between POC and biogenic mineral fluxes varies with depth, between the surface and 1000m below. The results suggest that the transfer of POC into the deep ocean is more closely related to phytoplankton community structure than to mineral composition alone.
E. E. Black and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 11, 5123–5137, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5123-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5123-2014, 2014
T. P. Guilderson, S. J. Tumey, T. A. Brown, and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 11, 4839–4852, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4839-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4839-2014, 2014
C. Rödenbeck, D. C. E. Bakker, N. Metzl, A. Olsen, C. Sabine, N. Cassar, F. Reum, R. F. Keeling, and M. Heimann
Biogeosciences, 11, 4599–4613, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4599-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4599-2014, 2014
O2 / Ar and satellite observation: a methodological study
C.-H. Chang, N. C. Johnson, and N. Cassar
Biogeosciences, 11, 3279–3297, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3279-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-3279-2014, 2014
A. E. Santoro, C. M. Sakamoto, J. M. Smith, J. N. Plant, A. L. Gehman, A. Z. Worden, K. S. Johnson, C. A. Francis, and K. L. Casciotti
Biogeosciences, 10, 7395–7410, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7395-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7395-2013, 2013
J. Kameník, H. Dulaiova, K.O. Buesseler, S. M. Pike, and K. Št'astná
Biogeosciences, 10, 6045–6052, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6045-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-6045-2013, 2013
M. L. Estapa, K. Buesseler, E. Boss, and G. Gerbi
Biogeosciences, 10, 5517–5531, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5517-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5517-2013, 2013
P. P. Povinec, M. Aoyama, D. Biddulph, R. Breier, K. Buesseler, C. C. Chang, R. Golser, X. L. Hou, M. Ješkovský, A. J. T. Jull, J. Kaizer, M. Nakano, H. Nies, L. Palcsu, L. Papp, M. K. Pham, P. Steier, and L. Y. Zhang
Biogeosciences, 10, 5481–5496, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5481-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5481-2013, 2013
I. I. Rypina, S. R. Jayne, S. Yoshida, A. M. Macdonald, E. Douglass, and K. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 4973–4990, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4973-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-4973-2013, 2013
N. Casacuberta, P. Masqué, J. Garcia-Orellana, R. Garcia-Tenorio, and K.O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 3649–3659, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3649-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3649-2013, 2013
K. Castro-Morales, N. Cassar, D. R. Shoosmith, and J. Kaiser
Biogeosciences, 10, 2273–2291, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2273-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2273-2013, 2013
M. A. Charette, C. F. Breier, P. B. Henderson, S. M. Pike, I. I. Rypina, S. R. Jayne, and K. O. Buesseler
Biogeosciences, 10, 2159–2167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2159-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2159-2013, 2013
E. Montes, M. A. Altabet, F. E. Muller-Karger, M. I. Scranton, R. C. Thunell, C. Benitez-Nelson, L. Lorenzoni, and Y. M. Astor
Biogeosciences, 10, 267–279, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-267-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-267-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Biogeochemistry: Open Ocean
Marine snow morphology drives sinking and attenuation in the ocean interior
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
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
Pelagic coccolithophore production and dissolution and their impacts on particulate inorganic carbon cycling in the western North Pacific
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
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?
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
Using machine learning and Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) floats to assess biogeochemical models and optimize observing system design
The representation of alkalinity and the carbonate pump from CMIP5 to CMIP6 Earth system models and implications for the carbon cycle
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.
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.
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.
Yuye Han, Zvi Steiner, Zhimian Cao, Di Fan, Junhui Chen, Jimin Yu, and Minhan Dai
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3492, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3492, 2024
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Coccolithophore calcite accounts for a major fraction of particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) 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. We also found extensive dissolution of coccolithophore calcite in the oversaturated shallow waters primarily driven by microbial metabolic activity.
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.
Kieran Curran, Tracy Villareal, and Robert T. Letscher
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1416, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1416, 2024
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This work provides a two 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 for gel cycling during the summer months, helping explain previously contradictory estimates of nutrient supply and demand for the subtropical ocean.
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.
Alexandre Mignot, Hervé Claustre, Gianpiero Cossarini, Fabrizio D'Ortenzio, Elodie Gutknecht, Julien Lamouroux, Paolo Lazzari, Coralie Perruche, Stefano Salon, Raphaëlle Sauzède, Vincent Taillandier, and Anna Teruzzi
Biogeosciences, 20, 1405–1422, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1405-2023, 2023
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Numerical models of ocean biogeochemistry are becoming a major tool to detect and predict the impact of climate change on marine resources and monitor ocean health. Here, we demonstrate the use of the global array of BGC-Argo floats for the assessment of biogeochemical models. We first detail the handling of the BGC-Argo data set for model assessment purposes. We then present 23 assessment metrics to quantify the consistency of BGC model simulations with respect to BGC-Argo data.
Alban Planchat, Lester Kwiatkowski, Laurent Bopp, Olivier Torres, James R. Christian, Momme Butenschön, Tomas Lovato, Roland Séférian, Matthew A. Chamberlain, Olivier Aumont, Michio Watanabe, Akitomo Yamamoto, Andrew Yool, Tatiana Ilyina, Hiroyuki Tsujino, Kristen M. Krumhardt, Jörg Schwinger, Jerry Tjiputra, John P. Dunne, and Charles Stock
Biogeosciences, 20, 1195–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1195-2023, 2023
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Ocean alkalinity is critical to the uptake of atmospheric carbon and acidification in surface waters. We review the representation of alkalinity and the associated calcium carbonate cycle in Earth system models. While many parameterizations remain present in the latest generation of models, there is a general improvement in the simulated alkalinity distribution. This improvement is related to an increase in the export of biotic calcium carbonate, which closer resembles observations.
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Short summary
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.
The ocean’s mesopelagic zone (MZ) plays a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. This study...
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