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Multi-faceted particle pumps drive carbon sequestration in the ocean.

Authors :
Boyd PW
Claustre H
Levy M
Siegel DA
Weber T
Source :
Nature [Nature] 2019 Apr; Vol. 568 (7752), pp. 327-335. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Apr 17.
Publication Year :
2019

Abstract

The ocean's ability to sequester carbon away from the atmosphere exerts an important control on global climate. The biological pump drives carbon storage in the deep ocean and is thought to function via gravitational settling of organic particles from surface waters. However, the settling flux alone is often insufficient to balance mesopelagic carbon budgets or to meet the demands of subsurface biota. Here we review additional biological and physical mechanisms that inject suspended and sinking particles to depth. We propose that these 'particle injection pumps' probably sequester as much carbon as the gravitational pump, helping to close the carbon budget and motivating further investigation into their environmental control.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1476-4687
Volume :
568
Issue :
7752
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Nature
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
30996317
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1098-2