Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017)
The Arctic Ocean plays a key role in regulating the global climate, while being highly sensitive to climate change. Temperature in the Arctic increases faster than the global average, causing a loss of multiyear sea-ice and affecting marine ecosystem structure and functioning. As a result, Arctic pr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00187/full |
| _version_ | 1819074810211205120 |
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| author | Anja Engel Astrid Bracher Astrid Bracher Tilman Dinter Sonja Endres Sonja Endres Julia Grosse Katja Metfies Katja Metfies Ilka Peeken Judith Piontek Judith Piontek Ian Salter Eva-Maria Nöthig |
| author_facet | Anja Engel Astrid Bracher Astrid Bracher Tilman Dinter Sonja Endres Sonja Endres Julia Grosse Katja Metfies Katja Metfies Ilka Peeken Judith Piontek Judith Piontek Ian Salter Eva-Maria Nöthig |
| author_sort | Anja Engel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Arctic Ocean plays a key role in regulating the global climate, while being highly sensitive to climate change. Temperature in the Arctic increases faster than the global average, causing a loss of multiyear sea-ice and affecting marine ecosystem structure and functioning. As a result, Arctic primary production and biogeochemical cycling are changing. Here, we investigated inter-annual changes in the concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) together with biological drivers, such as phyto- and bacterioplankton abundance in the Fram Strait, the Atlantic gateway to the Central Arctic Ocean. Data have been collected in summer at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN during eight cruises from 2009 to 2017. Our results suggest that the dynamic physical system of the Fram Strait induces strong heterogeneity of the ecosystem that displays considerable intra-seasonal as well as inter-annual variability. Over the observational period, DOC concentrations were significantly negatively related to temperature and salinity, suggesting that outflow of Central Arctic waters carrying a high DOC load is the main control of DOC concentration in this region. POC concentration was not linked to temperature or salinity but tightly related to phytoplankton biomass as estimated from chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a). For the years 2009–2017, no temporal trends in the depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of DOC and Chl-a were observed. In contrast, depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of POC, as well as the ratio [POC]:[TOC], decreased significantly over time. This suggests a higher partitioning of organic carbon into the dissolved phase. Potential causes and consequences of the observed changes in organic carbon stocks for food-web structure and CO2 sequestration are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T18:15:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cde25a3db524486b9f404b6dc84a9c17 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T18:15:26Z |
| publishDate | 2019-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-cde25a3db524486b9f404b6dc84a9c172022-12-21T18:54:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452019-04-01610.3389/fmars.2019.00187433586Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017)Anja Engel0Astrid Bracher1Astrid Bracher2Tilman Dinter3Sonja Endres4Sonja Endres5Julia Grosse6Katja Metfies7Katja Metfies8Ilka Peeken9Judith Piontek10Judith Piontek11Ian Salter12Eva-Maria Nöthig13GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, GermanyInstitute of Environmental Physics, University Bremen, Bremen, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, GermanyHelmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, Oldenburg, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, GermanyGEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, GermanyDepartment of Biological Oceanography, Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Rostock, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, GermanyAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Bremerhaven, GermanyThe Arctic Ocean plays a key role in regulating the global climate, while being highly sensitive to climate change. Temperature in the Arctic increases faster than the global average, causing a loss of multiyear sea-ice and affecting marine ecosystem structure and functioning. As a result, Arctic primary production and biogeochemical cycling are changing. Here, we investigated inter-annual changes in the concentrations of particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC, DOC) together with biological drivers, such as phyto- and bacterioplankton abundance in the Fram Strait, the Atlantic gateway to the Central Arctic Ocean. Data have been collected in summer at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN during eight cruises from 2009 to 2017. Our results suggest that the dynamic physical system of the Fram Strait induces strong heterogeneity of the ecosystem that displays considerable intra-seasonal as well as inter-annual variability. Over the observational period, DOC concentrations were significantly negatively related to temperature and salinity, suggesting that outflow of Central Arctic waters carrying a high DOC load is the main control of DOC concentration in this region. POC concentration was not linked to temperature or salinity but tightly related to phytoplankton biomass as estimated from chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a). For the years 2009–2017, no temporal trends in the depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of DOC and Chl-a were observed. In contrast, depth-integrated (0–100 m) amounts of POC, as well as the ratio [POC]:[TOC], decreased significantly over time. This suggests a higher partitioning of organic carbon into the dissolved phase. Potential causes and consequences of the observed changes in organic carbon stocks for food-web structure and CO2 sequestration are discussed.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00187/fulldissolved organic carbonparticulate organic carbonphytoplanktonbacteriatime series |
| spellingShingle | Anja Engel Astrid Bracher Astrid Bracher Tilman Dinter Sonja Endres Sonja Endres Julia Grosse Katja Metfies Katja Metfies Ilka Peeken Judith Piontek Judith Piontek Ian Salter Eva-Maria Nöthig Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) Frontiers in Marine Science dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon phytoplankton bacteria time series |
| title | Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) |
| title_full | Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) |
| title_fullStr | Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) |
| title_short | Inter-Annual Variability of Organic Carbon Concentration in the Eastern Fram Strait During Summer (2009–2017) |
| title_sort | inter annual variability of organic carbon concentration in the eastern fram strait during summer 2009 2017 |
| topic | dissolved organic carbon particulate organic carbon phytoplankton bacteria time series |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00187/full |
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