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High particle export over the continental shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula
Author(s) -
Buesseler Ken O.,
McDonnell Andrew M. P.,
Schofield Oscar M. E.,
Steinberg Deborah K.,
Ducklow Hugh W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2010gl045448
Subject(s) - oceanography , continental shelf , benthic zone , flux (metallurgy) , environmental science , peninsula , bloom , sediment trap , submarine pipeline , geology , particulates , atmospheric sciences , water column , geography , chemistry , archaeology , organic chemistry
Drifting cylindrical traps and the flux proxy 234 Th indicate more than an order of magnitude higher sinking fluxes of particulate carbon and 234 Th in January 2009 than measured by a time‐series conical trap used regularly on the shelf of the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). The higher fluxes measured in this study have several implications for our understanding of the WAP ecosystem. Larger sinking fluxes result in a revised export efficiency of at least 10% (C flux/net primary production) and a requisite lower regeneration efficiency in surface waters. High fluxes also result in a large supply of sinking organic matter to support subsurface and benthic food webs on the continental shelf. These new findings call into question the magnitude of seasonal and interannual variability in particle flux and reaffirm the difficulty of using moored conical traps as a quantitative flux collector in shallow waters.