Reconciling the size‐dependence of marine particle sinking speed

Cael, B.B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1317-5718; Cavan, Emma L.; Britten, Gregory L.. 2021 Reconciling the size‐dependence of marine particle sinking speed. Geophysical Research Letters, 48 (5). 10.1029/2020GL091771

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Abstract/Summary

Sinking particles are critical to the ocean's “biological pump,” sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Particles' sinking speeds are a primary factor determining fluxes and subsequent ecological and climatic impacts. While size is a key determinant of particles' sinking speeds, observations suggest a variable size-sinking relationship, affected by other particle properties, resulting in substantial spread in parameterizations of particle sinking and fluxes. We compile particle size-sinking observations and apply hierarchical Bayesian statistical models to resolve the size-sinking relationship while accounting for other factors. We find an overall scaling close to the general Navier-Stokes drag equation, and differences between particle types, open ocean versus coastal/laboratory particles, and in situ versus ex situ methods. These results can help harmonize how Earth system models parameterize particle fluxes and support a weaker size-dependence than often assumed, with implications for the flux contribution of small particles and the predicted future shrinking of marine particle populations.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1029/2020GL091771
ISSN:	0094-8276
Date made live:	20 May 2021 21:14 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/530361

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