Multiple Constraints on Net Community Production and its Regulating Factors in the Southern Ocean
Nicolas Cassar, Duke University
13 Apr 2012
Photosynthesis in excess of respiration at the surface of the oceans (i.e. net community production; NCP) mediates the transfer of CO2 to the deep ocean and in the process regulates atmospheric CO2 levels. In the Southern Ocean, such biogeochemical processes play a disproportionate role in shaping the global environment. Our objective is to examine some of the physiological and ecosystem mechanisms governing mixed-layer carbon fluxes in the Southern Ocean. NCP can be estimated using a variety of tools, including satellite, atmospheric and in situ observations. We use a combination of biogeochemical and biological approaches to estimate the large scale patterns of NCP, and assess and characterize the impact of iron, light, and microbial ecosystem size structure on carbon export and carbon export efficiency.