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Sinking rates of organic particles 1
Author(s) -
Lorenzen Carl J.,
Welschmeyer Nicholas A.,
Copping Andrea E.,
Vernet Maria
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1983.28.4.0766
Subject(s) - total organic carbon , sink (geography) , flux (metallurgy) , sediment , water column , carbon fibers , sediment trap , environmental science , particulate organic carbon , carbon sink , particulates , carbon flux , atmospheric sciences , mineralogy , environmental chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , soil science , oceanography , geology , chemistry , materials science , ecology , geomorphology , climate change , ecosystem , nutrient , geography , phytoplankton , composite number , composite material , biology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
The flux of organic particles collected by sediment traps decreases in a nonlinear fashion with depth. This implies a loss of organic carbon with time as the particles sink. Samples of such particles held in the laboratory or left in situ do in fact decay, showing a significant loss of carbon. Particles were collected in the upper 1,000 m of the water column with sediment traps south of the Hawaiian Islands. Aliquots from the traps were placed in combusted glass bottles and returned to the depths from which they were collected. After 5 days the bottles were recovered and the carbon content determined. On the average, about 30% of the particulate carbon was lost during the experiment. With this knowledge of the decay rate, one can estimate the expected change in “apparent carbon flux” with time. This in combination with the measured vertical flux can be used to calculate the depth interval required for this change to occur. Average sinking rates of 92 m · d 1 were thus estimated.