Premium
Phytoplankton Do Not Produce Carbon‐Rich Organic Matter in High CO 2 Oceans
Author(s) -
Kim JaMyung,
Lee Kitack,
Suh YoungSang,
Han InSeong
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1029/2017gl075865
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , organic matter , environmental chemistry , particulates , carbon dioxide , environmental science , pelagic zone , total organic carbon , sink (geography) , dissolved organic carbon , carbon cycle , oceanography , photosynthesis , new production , biogeochemical cycle , chemistry , ecology , nutrient , ecosystem , geology , biology , biochemistry , cartography , geography
The ocean is a substantial sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) released as a result of human activities. Over the coming decades the dissolved inorganic C concentration in the surface ocean is predicted to increase, which is expected to have a direct influence on the efficiency of C utilization (consumption and production) by phytoplankton during photosynthesis. Here we evaluated the generality of C‐rich organic matter production by examining the elemental C:N ratio of organic matter produced under conditions of varying pCO 2 . The data used in this analysis were obtained from a series of pelagic in situ pCO 2 perturbation studies that were performed in the diverse ocean regions and involved natural phytoplankton assemblages. The C:N ratio of the resulting particulate and dissolved organic matter did not differ across the range of pCO 2 conditions tested. In particular, the ratio for particulate organic C and N was found to be 6.58 ± 0.05, close to the theoretical value of 6.6.
Accelerating Research
Robert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom
Address
John Eccles HouseRobert Robinson Avenue,
Oxford Science Park, Oxford
OX4 4GP, United Kingdom