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A new method for the estimation of sinking particle fluxes from measurements of the particle size distribution, average sinking velocity, and carbon content
Author(s) -
McDonnell Andrew M. P.,
Buesseler Ken O.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography: methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.898
H-Index - 72
ISSN - 1541-5856
DOI - 10.4319/lom.2012.10.329
Subject(s) - flux (metallurgy) , environmental science , carbon fibers , particle size , sediment trap , sediment , particle (ecology) , sampling (signal processing) , temporal resolution , particle size distribution , spatial distribution , carbon cycle , atmospheric sciences , soil science , remote sensing , oceanography , physics , chemistry , geology , ecology , mathematics , geomorphology , optics , algorithm , ecosystem , detector , composite number , biology , organic chemistry
We describe a new method for estimating sinking particulate carbon fluxes at high spatial and temporal resolutions from measurements of the particle concentration size distribution taken with an in situ camera system, in this case an autonomous video plankton recorder (VPR). Paired measurements of polyacrylamide gel traps and the VPR result in depth‐ and size‐resolved parameterizations of the average sinking velocity, which enable the estimation of the flux size distribution from the concentration size distribution. Comparisons between the gel traps and the bulk carbon flux allows for the parameterization of the particle carbon content as a function of size. Together, these parameterizations permit the estimation of carbon fluxes from high‐resolution VPR surveys. This method enables greater spatial, vertical, and temporal resolution of flux measurements beyond what is possible with conventional sediment traps. We tested this method in the Sargasso Sea and found that it was capable of accurately reproducing the fluxes measured in sediment traps while offering substantial improvement in the accuracy of the estimated fluxes compared to previous global and regional parameterizations. Our results point to the importance of local calibrations of the average sinking velocity and particle carbon content when estimating carbon fluxes from measurement of the concentration size distribution. This method holds important oceanographic potential for elucidating regional or basin scale carbon flows and providing new mechanistic insights into the function of the biological pump.