Genevieve Tremblay
October, 27 - 2007
Oct. 24, 2007
Off the coast of Perry Sound Canada
Genevieve Tremblay
..........................................
I am responsible for the deployment of free drifting sediment traps (FST). One can ask, what are they? What do they look like, and why we are using them? Let me give you a quick overview of this trapping protocol.
Sediment traps have been widely used to estimate the sinking flux of organic material in the ocean and to assess the composition of that flux. Because of the polar warming in Polar Regions (we already see signs of warmer surface temperature, and reduction of sea ice thickness and cover), the state of the carbon cycling in the water column of the ocean may change. One scenario is that it will consequently enhance the activity of the biological pump (conversion of the euphotic zone inorganic carbon (CO2 into phytoplankton carbon and its export to depth), enabling drawdowns of excess atmospheric carbon.
There are two pathways to describe organic carbon sedimentation in the water column.
1) Phytoplankton carbon can be transferred to the higher trophic level by zooplankton grazing. Part of this carbon can be used by other organisms including fish, mammals and bird, while another part may be exported at deeper depth in the form of fecal pellets (feces). This pathway favors transfer to the pelagic (open ocean) ecosystem.
2) On the other hand, phytoplankton carbon that is not used can be directly exported through sedimentation of intact cells. This pathway leads to food input to the benthic (sea floor) community.
In order to better understand the actual sedimentation cycle of particulate organic matter, we deployed the traps at some stations throughout the Canadian High Arctic.
Off the coast of Perry Sound Canada
Genevieve Tremblay
..........................................I am responsible for the deployment of free drifting sediment traps (FST). One can ask, what are they? What do they look like, and why we are using them? Let me give you a quick overview of this trapping protocol.
Sediment traps have been widely used to estimate the sinking flux of organic material in the ocean and to assess the composition of that flux. Because of the polar warming in Polar Regions (we already see signs of warmer surface temperature, and reduction of sea ice thickness and cover), the state of the carbon cycling in the water column of the ocean may change. One scenario is that it will consequently enhance the activity of the biological pump (conversion of the euphotic zone inorganic carbon (CO2 into phytoplankton carbon and its export to depth), enabling drawdowns of excess atmospheric carbon.
There are two pathways to describe organic carbon sedimentation in the water column.
1) Phytoplankton carbon can be transferred to the higher trophic level by zooplankton grazing. Part of this carbon can be used by other organisms including fish, mammals and bird, while another part may be exported at deeper depth in the form of fecal pellets (feces). This pathway favors transfer to the pelagic (open ocean) ecosystem.
2) On the other hand, phytoplankton carbon that is not used can be directly exported through sedimentation of intact cells. This pathway leads to food input to the benthic (sea floor) community.
In order to better understand the actual sedimentation cycle of particulate organic matter, we deployed the traps at some stations throughout the Canadian High Arctic.
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