Articles | Volume 23, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4361-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4361-2026
Research article
 | 
01 Jul 2026
Research article |  | 01 Jul 2026

Evaluation of the particulate inorganic carbon export efficiency in the global ocean

Jordan Toullec

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Evaluation of the Particulate Inorganic Carbon Export Efficiency in the Global Ocean
Jordan Toullec
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1108,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1108, 2025
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Cited articles

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Balch, W. M., Kilpatrick, K. A., Holligan, P., Harbour, D., and Fernandez, E.: The 1991 coccolithophore bloom in the central North Atlantic. 2. Relating optics to coccolith concentration, Limnol. Oceanogr., 41, 1684–1696, https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1996.41.8.1684, 1996. 
Balch, W. M., Gordon, H. R., Bowler, B. C., Drapeau, D. T., and Booth, E. S.: Calcium carbonate measurements in the surface global ocean based on Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 110, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JC002560, 2005. 
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The gravitational sinking of calcifying plankton (CaCO3 shell) participates in capturing CO2 in the ocean. This work reveals that plankton seasonality and regional differences are important drivers of CaCO₃ flux efficiency. CaCO3 dissolution in the water column is assumed to be responsible for this discrepancy. This study suggests that the type of sinking particles (marine snow aggregates, zooplankton fecal pellets) and the plankton phenology may affect the CaCO3 export efficiency.
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