The influence of phytoplankton size fractions on the carbon export ratio in the surface ocean

Zuchuan Li, Yajuan Lin and Nicolas Cassar

Ecological Modelling, 2024, vol. 495, issue C

Abstract: The fraction of primary production exported out of the surface ocean, also known as the carbon export ratio, is believed to be a function of phytoplankton size fractions. However, this relationship is often elusive in observations. Here, we explore this relationship by developing a metabolism-based mechanistic model of the carbon export ratio at the base of the mixed layer (efml). Our efml model is a function of phytoplankton size fractions, temperature, and light and nutrient availability in the mixed layer. Our model delineates a lower bound on efml as a linear function of biomass ratios between phytoplankton size groups, supporting observational data from three cruises in the Southern Ocean. Finally, we develop a remotely-sensed estimate of efml incorporating satellite estimates of phytoplankton size fractions. Models like the one presented in this study will benefit from the improved characterization of plankton communities with the upcoming hyperspectral satellite imaging. With the projected shifts in plankton ecosystem structure associated with climate change, projections of air-sea carbon fluxes will require an improved representation of the impact of phytoplankton size fractions on the carbon export ratio.

Keywords: Carbon export ratio; Net community production; Respiration; Phytoplankton size fractions; Southern Ocean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380024001868
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:495:y:2024:i:c:s0304380024001868

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110798

Access Statistics for this article

Ecological Modelling is currently edited by Brian D. Fath

More articles in Ecological Modelling from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().