Geography

Mass balance estimates of carbon export in different water masses of the Chukchi Sea shelf

Document Type

Article

Abstract

We construct mass-balance based estimates of carbon (C) export fractions from the water column across the Chukchi Sea shelf. Export is calculated as the difference between phytoplankton drawdown of dissolved inorganic C (DIC) and the accumulation of autochthonous particulate and dissolved organic C in the water column. Organic carbon (Corg) exports of >50% of DIC drawdown are ubiquitous across the shelf, even during, or shortly after, phytoplankton blooms, suggesting widespread and strong pelagic-benthic coupling. Export fractions on the shelf were generally greater in the less-productive Alaska Coastal Water than in the more productive Bering Shelf-Anadyr Water. Additionally, export fractions were greater in 2011 than in 2010, highlighting the significant spatial and inter-annual variability of the fate of Corg in this ecologically and biogeochemically important, and rapidly changing, ecosystem.

Publication Title

Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

Publication Date

8-2016

Volume

130

First Page

88

Last Page

99

ISSN

0967-0645

DOI

10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.05.003

Keywords

carbon export, Chukchi, Pelagic-benthic coupling, phytoplankton, sea ice

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