Can we constrain geographical variability in the biological carbon pump's transfer efficiency from observations?

Rufas, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3800-8879; Khatiwala, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9048-3234; Bisson, K. M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4230-3467; Martin, A. P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8612; Bouman, H. A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7407-9431. 2025 Can we constrain geographical variability in the biological carbon pump's transfer efficiency from observations? Geophysical Research Letters, 52 (3). 10.1029/2024GL111203

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text © 2025. The Author(s).This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Geophysical Research Letters - 2025 - Rufas - Can We Constrain Geographical Variability in the Biological Carbon Pump s.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract/Summary

The biological carbon pump (BCP) transfers large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere into the ocean's interior, contributing to carbon sequestration. Studies on latitudinal variability in organic carbon transfer to depth have yielded inconsistent results, likely due to methodological differences. To address this, we compiled particulate organic carbon (POC) flux data and BCP metrics from time-series locations across biogeographically distinct ocean regions. We integrated multiple BCP observational techniques, including diverse collection and processing protocols, capturing diverse facets of POC flux at varying spatio-temporal resolutions. To ensure comparability, we harmonized errors and used Monte Carlo error propagation to calculate uncertainties consistently. Our analysis reveals large local uncertainties that obscure expected latitudinal variations in BCP metrics. While such variations may exist, they remain difficult to identify with current observational data. Our findings underscore the need for sustained POC flux observations, standardization of protocols, and intercalibration of technologies to identify geographic BCP patterns.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1029/2024GL111203
ISSN:	0094-8276
Additional Keywords:	biological carbon pump, transfer efficiency, uncertainty quantification, POC flux observations
Date made live:	04 Mar 2025 14:42 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539011

Actions (login required)

View Item

Document Downloads

More statistics for this item...