Open AccessDissolved inorganic carbon pool dynamics in northern Gerlache Strait, Antarctica
Author(s) -
Carrillo Christopher J.,
Karl David M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/1999jc900110
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , dissolved organic carbon , oceanography , environmental science , salinity , carbon cycle , bloom , total inorganic carbon , spring bloom , algal bloom , flux (metallurgy) , organic matter , ecosystem , primary production , spring (device) , carbon fibers , atmospheric sciences , nutrient , geology , carbon dioxide , chemistry , ecology , biology , materials science , organic chemistry , composite number , composite material , mechanical engineering , engineering
The Research on Antarctic Coastal Ecosystem Rates (RACER) program was designed to study interactions between biological and physical processes in regions west of the Antarctic Peninsula. The field sampling effort was conducted from 1986 to 1992 and consisted of four cruises; three during separate austral spring‐summer seasons (RACER I, II and III) and one austral winter cruise (RACER IV). Extensive phytoplankton blooms were documented at several stations in northern Gerlache Strait during the three austral spring‐summer seasons. The growth and accumulation of photoautotrophic microorganisms resulted in the net removal of >100 μmol kg −1 of salinity normalized dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). An upper estimate for net ecosystem production of 0.15 mol C m −2 d −1 was calculated from measured rates of DIC removal at one station (designated station A) that was occupied extensively during all four RACER cruises. Independent measurements of total gross microbial production, based on DNA synthesis rates, ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 mol C m −2 d −1 at the height of the bloom. The net accumulation of phytoplankton carbon and removal of DIC from the system resulted in an estimated mean air‐to‐sea flux of 6 mmol C m −2 d −1 , a negligible fraction of the net removal of carbon by organic matter production. A characteristic feature of each austral spring‐summer cruise was the high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the inorganic carbon system parameters. The exact cause(s) of this variability is not known. As a result of spatial heterogeneity, carbon fluxes were not well constrained, and regional carbon budget closure was problematic.