151. Modeling the Impact of Macrozooplankton on Carbon Export Production in the Southern Ocean.
- Author
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Karakuş, Onur, Völker, Christoph, Iversen, Morten, Hagen, Wilhelm, Wolf‐Gladrow, Dieter, Fach, Bettina, and Hauck, Judith
- Subjects
PLANKTON ,CARBON content of seawater ,ECOSYSTEM management ,OCEANOGRAPHY - Abstract
Macrozooplankton and its grazing pressure shape ecosystem structures and carbon pathways in the Southern Ocean. Here, we present the implementation of "polar macrozooplankton" as a plankton functional type and a related fast‐sinking detritus class (fecal pellets) into the biogeochemical model REcoM‐2. We use the model to assess major carbon pathways and ecosystem structure in the Southern Ocean south of 50°S. The model represents zooplankton biomass and its spatial distribution in the Southern Ocean reasonably well in comparison to available biomass data. A distinct difference of our model from previous versions is the seasonal pattern of particle formation processes and ecosystem structures in the Southern Ocean. REcoM‐2 now captures high zooplankton biomass and a typical shift from a dominance of phytodetrital aggregates in spring to zooplankton fecal pellets later in the year. At sites with high biomass of macrozooplankton, the transfer efficiency of particulate organic carbon can be as high as 50%, and the carbon content of the exported material increases. In our simulations, macrozooplankton is an important component of the Southern Ocean plankton community, contributing up to 0.12 Pg C per year (14%) to total modeled carbon export across 100 m depth. Macrozooplankton changes the phytoplankton composition and supports the recycling of macronutrients. These results support the important role of macrozooplankton such as krill in the Southern Ocean and have implications for the representation of Southern Ocean biogeochemical cycles in models. Plain Language Summary: Large zooplankton such as krill is an important component of marine ecosystems, but it is rarely represented in ocean ecosystem models. Large zooplankton grazes on phytoplankton, smaller zooplankton, and sinking particles in the ocean. To understand the role of large zooplankton for carbon cycling in the Southern Ocean, we have implemented this group into our ecosystem model and describe macrozooplankton feeding and particle formation based on observations. We find that large zooplankton supports a stable or even increased growth of phytoplankton, in spite of its grazing. This is because it also returns nutrients to phytoplankton via excretion. Besides, large zooplankton increases the transfer of carbon to the deep ocean. Key Points: A new macrozoplankton parametrization is implemented into the biogeochemical model REcoM‐2Transfer efficiency reaches up to 50% due to the high carbon content and fast sinking of macrozooplankton fecal pelletsMacrozooplankton contributes up to 14% (0.12 Pg C yr−1) to modeled carbon export at 100 m depth in the Southern Ocean south of 50°S [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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