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Geographic variation of oceanic 14 C dark uptake
Author(s) -
Prakash A.,
Sheldon R. W.,
Sutcliffe W. H.
Publication year - 1991
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.1991.36.1.0030
Subject(s) - ocean gyre , latitude , temperate climate , oceanography , subtropics , photic zone , biology , environmental science , ecology , geology , phytoplankton , nutrient , geodesy
In a series of midocean stations extending from high northern to high southern latitudes in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans we found that 14 C dark uptake followed a definite geographic pattern. In temperate and equatorial regions the dark uptake was normally ≾ 10% of that in the light, but in the subtropical gyres and at high southern latitudes the average dark uptake varied from 10 to >50% of the light uptake. There was a significant and complex relationship between dark uptake, production, and standing stock that seemed to depend on the structure of the plankton community, but a relatively simple pattern could also be discerned. At production levels of > l µ g C liter −1 h −1 or at standing stock levels of >40 µ g C liter −1 , the average dark uptake was low. At lower levels the average dark uptake was high.