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Short‐term sediment trap fluxes from Chatham Rise, southwest Pacific Ocean
Author(s) -
Nodder S. D.
Publication year - 1997
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.1997.42.4.0777
Subject(s) - particulates , sediment trap , oceanography , photic zone , sink (geography) , sediment , environmental science , water column , flux (metallurgy) , water mass , geology , atmospheric sciences , hydrology (agriculture) , nutrient , phytoplankton , chemistry , geomorphology , geography , cartography , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry
Sediment trap, nephelometer, and particulate matter (PM) data were collected in the vicinity of the Subtropical Convergence, north of Chatham Rise (42–43°S), southwest Pacific Ocean, in austral autumn 1992. Free‐floating cylindrical sediment traps were deployed below the euphotic zone at 200‐, 300‐, and 500‐m water depths. Increases in total mass flux and concomitant proportional decreases in other particulate fluxes (total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus) with depth reflected the collection of relatively refractory material, enriched in particulate carbon, as evinced by increases in C: N and C: P ratios below 300 m. Nephelometer and PM concentration profiles indicate that resuspension of sea‐floor sediments from the nearby submarine high (Chatham Rise) probably contributed to the observed increase in total mass flux with depth. Published p CO 2 estimates, biological productivity data, and moderate particulate fluxes, as indicated by the present study suggest that oceanic water types east of New Zealand may be a biologically mediated regional sink for atmospheric CO 2 .