Open AccessRapid export of organic matter to the Mississippi Canyon
Author(s) -
Bianchi Thomas S.,
Allison Mead A.,
Canuel Elizabeth A.,
Corbett D. Reide,
McKee Brent A.,
Sampere Troy P.,
Wakeham Stuart G.,
Waterson Elizabeth
Publication year - 2006
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 - 10.1029/2006eo500002
Subject(s) - canyon , terrigenous sediment , benthic zone , sedimentary organic matter , plume , environmental science , oceanography , organic matter , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , sedimentary rock , ecology , geography , geomorphology , geochemistry , geotechnical engineering , meteorology , biology
Coastal margins, where rivers serve as the dominant control on productivity and delivery of dissolved and particulate materials, have been understudied.The potential importance of certain river‐dominated margins (RiOMars), such as those of the Mississippi River plume, to the global carbon budget is garnering increased attention because of their disproportionate role in transporting terrigenous materials to the ocean [ Dagg et al ., 2004; McKee et al ., 2004]. This study concludes that labile (readily open to chemical, physical, or biological change) sedimentary organic matter, produced by in situ diatom production in the Mississippi River plume, is rapidly transported to the Mississippi Canyon. Despite the notion that canyon sediments are typically unstable and lack adequate food resources to support significant macrobenthic communities, this study suggests that productive RiOMars are important conduits for transporting fixed carbon from highly productive plume waters on the shelf to deeper benthic communities.