Open AccessShining a light on the ocean's twilight zone
Author(s) -
Burd Adrian B.,
Jackson George A.,
Lampitt R. S.,
Follows M.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2002eo000392
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , marine snow , environmental science , carbon fibers , atmosphere (unit) , zooplankton , settling , total organic carbon , oceanography , carbon cycle , photosynthesis , total inorganic carbon , environmental chemistry , ecology , carbon dioxide , chemistry , nutrient , geology , ecosystem , water column , environmental engineering , botany , materials science , geography , biology , meteorology , composite number , composite material
Carbon in the environment continually cycles between the land, the atmosphere, and the oceans. The oceanic carbon pool is one of the largest of these, with a capacity under equilibrium conditions to contain 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere. Phytoplankton in the surface ocean incorporate this inorganic carbon into organic carbon through photosynthesis (primary production). Between 2% and 50% of this organic material settles out of the surface ocean as particulate material (POC), consisting of heterogeneous aggregates (marine snow), zooplankton fecal material, and phytoplankton aggregates. This POC provides a food source for both zooplankton and bacteria, which can recycle some of the material back into inorganic forms (e.g., through respiration) or repackage it for further settling (Figure 1).