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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
general
Deep carbon export from a Southern Ocean iron-fertilized diatom bloom
Nature, Volume 487, No. 7407, Year 2012
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Description
Fertilization of the ocean by adding iron compounds has induced diatom-dominated phytoplankton blooms accompanied by considerable carbon dioxide drawdown in the ocean surface layer. However, because the fate of bloom biomass could not be adequately resolved in these experiments, the timescales of carbon sequestration from the atmosphere are uncertain. Here we report the results of a five-week experiment carried out in the closed core of a vertically coherent, mesoscale eddy of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, during which we tracked sinking particles from the surface to the deep-sea floor. A large diatom bloom peaked in the fourth week after fertilization. This was followed by mass mortality of several diatom species that formed rapidly sinking, mucilaginous aggregates of entangled cells and chains. Taken together, multiple lines of evidence-although each with important uncertainties-lead us to conclude that at least half the bloom biomass sank far below a depth of 1,000 metres and that a substantial portion is likely to have reached the sea floor. Thus, iron-fertilized diatom blooms may sequester carbon for timescales of centuries in ocean bottom water and for longer in the sediments. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Smetacek, Victor
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
India, Goa
National Institute of Oceanography India
Klaas, Christine
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Strass, Volker H.
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Assmy, Philipp
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Norway, Tromso
Norsk Polarinstitutt
Montresor, Marina
Italy, Naples
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Cisewski, Boris
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Germany, Hamburg
Thünen Institute of Fisheries Ecology
Savoye, Nicolas
Belgium, Brussels
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
France, Bordeaux
Université de Bordeaux
Webb, Adrian M.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
D'Ovidio, Francesco
France, Paris
Laboratoire D'océanographie et du Climat : Expérimentations et Approches Numériques
Arrieta, Jesús M.
Netherlands, 't Horntje
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Spain, Esporlas
Csic-uib - Instituto Mediterraneo de Estudios Avanzados Imedea
Bathmann, Ulrich V.
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Germany, Rostock
The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research
Bellerby, Richard G.J.
Norway, Bergen
Universitetet I Bergen
Norway, Oslo
Norsk Institutt for Vannforskning
Berg, Gry Miné
United States, Palo Alto
Stanford University
Croot, Peter
Germany, Kiel
Geomar - Helmholtz-zentrum Für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Ireland, Galway
University of Galway
Gonzalez, Santiago
Netherlands, 't Horntje
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Henjes, Joachim
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Germany, Bremen
Phytolutions Gmbh
Herndl, Gerhard J.
Netherlands, 't Horntje
Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Austria, Vienna
Universität Wien
Hoffmann, Linn J.
Germany, Kiel
Geomar - Helmholtz-zentrum Für Ozeanforschung Kiel
Leach, Harry
United Kingdom, Liverpool
University of Liverpool
Losch, Martin
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Mills, Matthew M.
United States, Palo Alto
Stanford University
Neill, Craig
Norway, Bergen
Universitetet I Bergen
Australia, Canberra
Csiro Oceans and Atmosphere
Peeken, Ilka
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Germany, Bremen
Marum – Zentrum Für Marine Umweltwissenschaften
Röttgers, Rüdiger
Germany, Geesthacht
Helmholtz-zentrum Hereon Gmbh
Sachs, Oliver
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Switzerland, Aarau
Eberhard and Partner ag
Sauter, Eberhard J.
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Schmidt, Maike M.
Germany, Bremen
Universität Bremen
Schwarz, Jill
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
United Kingdom, Plymouth
University of Plymouth
Terbrüggen, Anja
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Wolf-Gladrow, Dieter A.
Germany, Bremerhaven
Alfred-wegener-institut Helmholtz-zentrum Für Polar- Und Meeresforschung
Statistics
Citations: 374
Authors: 30
Affiliations: 26
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1038/nature11229
ISSN:
00280836
e-ISSN:
14764687
Research Areas
Environmental
Study Approach
Quantitative