Downward particle flux and carbon export in the Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean; the Malina experiment

MIQUEL, J.C.; GASSER, B.; MARTÍN, J.; MAREC, M.; BABIN, M.; FORTIER, L.,; FOREST, A.

BIOGEOSCIENCES

COPERNICUS PUBLICATIONS

Año: 2015 vol. 12 p. 5103 - 5117

1726-4170

POC fluxes obtained in the Eastern Beaufort Sea in August 2009 from drifting sediment traps were low (1-15 mg C m-2d-1), compared to long-term data which show higher but variable fluxes (10-40 mg C m-2d-1). Composition of sinking particles, especially faecal pellets, highlighted the role of the zooplankton community and its trophic structure in the transition of carbon from the productive surface zone to the deep ocean. Carbon flux at this season results from a heterotrophic driven ecosystem.