Buoyancy and polarity driven accumulation of dissolved organic matter in the sea surface microlayer during a phytoplankton bloom

Zöbelein, Jasper; Sawle, Shubham; Friedrichs, Gernot; Ribas-Ribas, Mariana; Lehners, Carola; Paetz, Katharina; Pflaum, Maximilian; Waska, Hannelore

doi:10.5194/bg-23-5961-2026

Articles | Volume 23, issue 16

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5961-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Biogeochemical processes and Air–sea exchange in the...

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5961-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 16

Research article

|

28 Aug 2026

Research article |

| 28 Aug 2026

Buoyancy and polarity driven accumulation of dissolved organic matter in the sea surface microlayer during a phytoplankton bloom

Jasper Zöbelein, Shubham Sawle, Gernot Friedrichs, Mariana Ribas-Ribas, Carola Lehners, Katharina Paetz, Maximilian Pflaum, and Hannelore Waska

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5961-2026-supplement

Data sets

Dissolved organic matter composition in the sea surface microlayer during a Mesocosm study in Wilhelmshaven, Germany (FT-ICR-MS and ATR-FTIR), spring 2023 [dataset bundled publication] J. Zöbelein et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.995053

Physical, chemical, and biogeochemical parameters from a mesocosm experiment at the Sea Surface Facility (SURF), Wilhelmshaven, Germany, spring 2023 R. Bibi et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.984101

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Short summary

The ocean is glazed with a one-millimetre biofilm that controls the flow of gases and energy from the atmosphere. To investigate how this film forms, we cultivated microscopic algae in a tank under controlled, windless conditions. Our results show that carbohydrates released by these algae rise to the surface, forming "carbo-slicks" that create a gel-like layer. This demonstrates that biological production is a key driver of the sea surface, which is crucial for understanding carbon exchange.