Efficient dissolved organic carbon production and export in the oligotrophic ocean.

ABSTRACT: Biologically fixed carbon is transferred from the surface to deep ocean as sinking particles or dissolved organic carbon (DOC). DOC is estimated to account for ~20% of global export production, but the degree to which this varies regionally has not been assessed at a global scale. Here we present the first observationally based global-scale assessment of DOC production and export, obtained by combining an artificial neural network estimate of the global DOC distribution, and a data-constrained ocean circulation model. Our results demonstrate that the efficiency of DOC production and export varies more than threefold across oceanographic regions. DOC production and export display a pronounced peak in the oligotrophic subtropical oceans, where DOC accounts for roughly half of the total organ

SUBMITTER: Roshan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5725454 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature