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Abstract: To obtain qualitative information on the Black Sea's dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool, the optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) were measured in 111 samples collected across the basin. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) was considered at three wavelengths (254 nm, 280 nm, and 325 nm), along with the spectral slope between 275 nm and 295 nm (S275–295) and the specific ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA254). Using parallel factor analysis, a five‐component model identified three humic‐like components, a protein‐like component, and a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon‐like component. In the basin's oxic layer (upper ∼ 100 m), protein‐like CDOM was elevated, likely due to the production of this labile material, while humic‐like material was low, suggesting its removal by photo‐oxidation. In the underlying waters, the protein‐like material decreased, perhaps due to the utilization of this nitrogen‐containing DOM, while humic‐like material increased, suggesting its production at depth. In the anoxic layer (lower ∼ 2000 m), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) varied by only ∼ 10% while CDOM increased with depth by a factor of approximately two; the optical properties correlated well with the H2S‐equivalence of mineralization, referred to here as apparent carbon mineralization (ACM), while DOC did not. The strong correlation between CDOM and ACM is similar to correlations previously identified in the open ocean that compared CDOM with apparent oxygen utilization, suggesting that CDOM accumulates as a function of mineralization, independently of the oxidizing agent (i.e., oxygen or sulfate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study on the distribution patterns of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Ross Sea polynya in Antarctica from November to December 1994. Information on DOC concentrations in Antarctic waters; Overview of the preparation of sea water samples collected along several transects of the polynya; Maximum concentration of DOC observed in the transects of the study.

We demonstrate that the distribution of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) in the deep North Pacific is a unique tracer for the accumulation of biochemically identifiable organic residue of the export flux. RuBisCO is found both dissolved and assembled in microgels in a dynamic gel-to-dissolved-to-gel continuum that may protect RuBisCO from degradation in the water column. High concentrations are located below biologically productive equatorial and subarctic systems, and low concentrations are associated with the subtropical gyre. RuBisCO tracks the advective transport of export products along deep circulation pathways of the ocean interior, serving as a quantifiable biochemical tracer of modern organic carbon exported to and resident in the deep ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discuss a correspondence relating to their article "Microbial production of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter: Long-term carbon storage in the global ocean." They argue that a fossil dissolved organic matter (DOM) raised by Chen-Tung Arthur Chen is not relevant to the microbial carbon pump (MCP.) They emphasize that their article considers how microbial processes transform the photo-synthetically fixed carbon from the surface ocean through the water column.

Considerable drawdown of total dissolved inorganic carbon (CT) and oversaturation of oxygen (O2) within a cold (15°C) oligotrophic eddy in the extratropical North Atlantic Ocean (46°N, 20.5°W) indicate that, despite the absence of nitrate (NO3-), the eddy was highly productive. Estimates of net community production using the mass balances of CT and O2 were two to five times greater than those obtained using the mass balance of NO3-. The remineralization rates obtained using the integrated rates of CT and NO3- accumulation and O2 utilization for the upper thermocline waters (35-300-m depth) were in agreement with CT- and O2-based net community production over the same period; however, all the estimates exceeded the NO3--based net community production by a factor of two to five, pointing to a considerable accumulation of NO3- in the upper thermocline in excess of changes in the mixed-layer NO3- inventory. The amount of this excess NO3- suggests that a considerable fraction of the net community production was not supported by the mixed-layer NO3- inventory and that an external source of NO3- must be present. Of the various mechanisms that might explain the inequity between NO3- drawdown in the surface layer and NO3- accumulation in the upper thermocline, N2 fixation is the most viable yet surprising mechanism for producing such excess NO3- in this oligotrophic eddy. A significant fraction of net community production in oligotrophic extratropical waters could be supported by processes that are not fully explored or to date have been considered to be insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ross Sea plays a major role in the transfer of organic carbon from the surface into the deep sea due to the combination of high seasonal productivity and Antarctic bottom water formation. Here we present a particle inventory of the Ross Sea based on a combined deployment of a video particle profiler (VPP) and a high-resolution digital holographic microscope (DIHM). Long-distance (100 s of kilometers) and short-distance (10 s of kilometers) sections showed high variability of particle distributions that co-varied with the density structure of the water column. Particle export was apparent at sites of locally weakened pycnoclines, likely an indirect effect of nutrient mixing into the surface layer and local blooms that lead to export. Particle volume abundances at 200–300 m depth were highly correlated with particle volume abundances in the upper mixed layer (< 60 m), consistent with particles at depth primarily the result of export rather than lateral advection. Phaeocystis antarctica (Haptophyta) colonies that were initially retained in the mixed layer sank below the euphotic zone within a period of two weeks. Fine-scale analysis at a resolution < 1 m revealed a significantly overdispersed (i.e., highly patchy) environment in all casts. Patchiness, as determined by the Lloyd index of patchiness and the Index of Aggregation, increased in and below the pycnocline presumably due to aggregation of particles while accumulating on density gradients. In contrast, particles in the upper mixed layer and in the nepheloid layers were more randomly distributed. In 40 of the 84 VPP depth profiles, a periodicity of particle peaks ranged from 10 to 90 m with a mode of 30 m, which can be regarded as the “relevant scale” or “characteristic patch size” of the vertical distribution of particles. While chlorophyll fluorescence and particle mass determined by VPP were significantly correlated at higher particle abundances, the relationship changed from cast to cast, reflecting changes in the relative contribution of fresh phytoplankton to total particle mass. Particles that sank below the main pycnocline were composed of phytoplankton, marine snow with and without embedded phytoplankton, crustacean plankton, and a surprisingly high percentage of heterotrophic (and perhaps mixotrophic) protists, such as acantharians and tintinnids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inventories of carbon residing in organic matter dissolved in the ocean [dissolved organic carbon (DOC)] and in the atmosphere as CO2 are of the same order of magnitude, such that small changes in the DOC pool could have important consequences in atmospheric carbon and thus climate. DOC in the global ocean is largely formed in the sunlit euphotic zone, but identifying predictable controls on that production is an important yet unrealized goal. Here, we use a testable and causative correlation between the net production of DOC and the consumption of new nutrients in the euphotic zone of the Atlantic Ocean. We demonstrate that new nutrients introduced to the euphotic zone by upwelling in divergence zones and by winter convective overturn of the water column, and the primary production associated with those nutrients, are the ultimate driver of DOC distributions across the Atlantic basins. As new nutrient input will change with a changing climate, the role of DOC in the ocean's biological pump should likewise be impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in the deep Black Sea are ~2.5 times higher than found in the global ocean. The two major external sources of DOC are rivers and the Sea of Marmara, a transit point for waters from the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, expansive phytoplankton blooms contribute autochthonous carbon to the Black Sea's ~800 Tg C DOC reservoir. Here, a basin-wide zonal section of DOC is explored using data from the 2013 Dutch GEOTRACES GA04-N, cruise 64PE373. DOC distributions are interpreted with respect to well-described hydrographic and biogeochemical layers of the Black Sea. Observed DOC concentrations were > 180 μmol kg −1 at the surface, decreasing to ~125 μmol kg −1 at the base of the oxic layer and reaching a minimum of ~113 μmol kg −1 in the upper anoxic layer between ~150 and 500 m. At greater depths the concentrations increased; maximum anoxic layer concentrations of 122 μmol kg −1 were found in the homogeneous benthic bottom layer (> 1775 m). Concentrations are then predicted based on conservation with respect to salinity using linear end-member mixing models, and predictions are compared with observations to estimate net removal (i.e., deficits) and accumulation (i.e., surpluses). A maximum surplus of ~10 μmol kg −1 was identified at the surface, likely due to local primary production. DOC exported to depth was non-conservative: up to ~34‐41 μmol kg −1 was removed from the basin's oxic layer in < 5 years, and an additional 13 ± 5 μmol kg −1 was removed from the anoxic layer during its ~300 to 600‐year residence time, given steady state. These deficits represent a removal of ~19% in the oxic water and a further removal of ~10% under anoxia, for a net removal of 48 μmol kg −1 (or ~29%) of allochthonous DOC, with respect to predicted concentrations. We find no evidence for DOC accumulation (i.e., net production) in the anoxic Black Sea, and suggest that concentrations are elevated relative to the ocean due to input of terrigenous DOC from rivers; we estimate that > 50% of DOC in the deep Black Sea is terrigenous. The Black Sea's relatively elevated DOC pool may be analogous to a hypothesized anoxic Eocene ocean's elevated reservoir only if the Eocene ocean received a substantial amount of terrigenous DOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we use data from three meridional survey cruises that took place in 1994, 2007/2008 and 2016/2017 in the southeast Pacific Ocean to investigate controls on surface distributions of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen (DOC and DON, respectively). While DOC and DON production occur simultaneously in the euphotic layer of the gyre margins, budgets that account for horizontal transport, production and consumption are not balanced across the region. Our results show that while DOC concentrations increase inside the gyre, DON remains at similar levels in comparison to margins. There is little interannual variability in DOC and DON trends, except near the equator, explained by ENSO phases and seasonality. While the effect of evaporation (precipitation) did not significantly contribute to variable DOC and DON concentrations, differences in the naturally occurring 15N/14N isotope ratios from the most recent cruise suggest net consumption of allochthonous DON inside the gyre. In the northernmost and southernmost stations, where surface [NO 3 −] was detected, 15N-DON showed low signatures in the upper 300 m of 3.8 ± 1.5‰ and 2.5 ± 1.6‰, respectively. Inside the gyre where [NO 3 −] was undetectable, higher values averaging 5.0 ± 0.9‰ were observed. This suggests that a fraction of DON turns over more rapidly than the time scale of horizontal transport, with the isotopic change reflecting the gradient in 15N-DON of newly produced organic matter. Thus, allochthonous DON is likely a significant source of nitrogen to microbial communities inside this nitrogen-limited environment and should be taken into consideration when closing nutrient budgets to estimate productivity in the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre. • Surface DOC and DON show little interannual variability in the east South Pacific. • DOC:DON and δ15N-DON are elevated inside the gyre versus its margins. • Evaporation plays a small role in accumulating DOC and DON inside the gyre. • Advected DON must be an important nitrogen source to the gyre as revealed by the δ15N-DON signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To assess the magnitude, distribution and fate of net community production (NCP) in the Chukchi Sea, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were measured during the spring and summer of 2004 and compared to similar observations taken in 2002. Distinctive differences in hydrographic conditions were observed between these two years, allowing us to consider several factors that could impact NCP and carbon cycling in both the Chukchi Shelf and the adjacent Canada Basin. Between the spring and summer cruises high rates of phytoplankton production over the Chukchi shelf resulted in a significant drawdown of DIC in the mixed layer and the associated production of DOC/N and POC/N. As in 2002, the highest rates of NCP occurred over the northeastern part of the Chukchi shelf near the head of Barrow Canyon, which has historically been a hotspot for biological activity in the region. However, in 2004, rates of NCP over most of the northeastern shelf were similar and in some cases higher than rates observed in 2002. This was unexpected due to a greater influence of low-nutrient waters from the Alaskan Coastal Current in 2004, which should have suppressed rates of NCP compared to 2002. Between spring and summer of 2004, normalized concentrations of DIC in the mixed layer decreased by as much as 280μmolkg−1, while DOC and DON increased by ∼16 and 9μmolkg−1, respectively. Given the decreased availability of inorganic nutrients in 2004, rates of NCP could be attributed to increased light penetration, which may have allowed phytoplankton to increase utilization of nutrients deeper in the water column. In addition, there was a rapid and extensive retreat of the ice cover in summer 2004 with warmer temperatures in the mixed layer that could have enhanced NCP. Estimates of NCP near the head of Barrow Canyon in 2004 were ∼1500mgcarbon(C)m−2 d−1 which was ∼400mgCm−2 d−1 higher than the same location in 2002. Estimates of NCP over the shelf-break and deep Canada Basin were low in both years, confirming that there is little primary production in the interior of the western Arctic Ocean due to near-zero concentrations of inorganic nitrate in the mixed layer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The dynamics of dissolved combined neutral sugars (DCNS) were assessed in the upper 250m at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site between 2001 and 2004. Our results reveal a regular annual pattern of DCNS accumulation with concentrations increasing at a rate of 0.009–0.012μmolCL−1 d−1 in the surface 40m from March to July and reaching maximum mean concentrations of 2.2–3.3μmolCL−1. Winter convective mixing (between January and March) annually exported surface-accumulated DCNS to the upper mesopelagic zone (100–250m), as concentrations increased there by 0.3–0.6μmolCL−1. The exported DCNS was subsequently removed over a period of weeks following restratification of the water column. Vertical and temporal trends in DCNS yield (% of DOC) supported its use as a diagenetic indicator of DOM quality. Higher DCNS yields in surface waters suggested a portion of the DOM accumulated relatively recently compared to the more recalcitrant material of the upper mesopelagic that had comparably lower yields. DCNS yields and mol% neutral sugar content, together, indicated differences in the diagenetic state of the surface-accumulated and deep pools of DOM. Seasonally accumulated, recently produced DOM with higher DCNS yields was characterized by elevated mol% of galactose and mannose+xylose levels. Conversely, more recalcitrant DOM from depths >100m had lower DCNS yields but higher mol% of glucose. Lower DCNS yields and elevated mol% glucose were also observed in the surface waters during winter convective mixing, indicating an entrainment of a diagenetically altered DOM pool into the upper 100m. A multivariate statistical analysis confirms the use of DCNS as an index of shifts in DOM quality at this site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ocean contains a large reservoir of dissolved organic matter (DOM) that persists for millennia. Both the very dilute concentrations of individual DOM molecules and intrinsic recalcitrance to microbial decay imparted by molecular structure are suggested mechanisms for this long residence time. Here, we report an experiment comparing the responses of surface and deep prokaryotes to DOM isolated and enriched by solid‐phase extraction from surface and deep waters of the subtropical North Atlantic Ocean. Extracts from both depths were qualitatively characterized as biologically recalcitrant given their similarly high C : N ratios of 26. Surface prokaryotes measurably drew down extracted dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations, but the drawdown was only 4% of the initial enriched DOC concentration regardless of enrichment level or depth. Deep microbes, in contrast, did not cause observable changes in DOC concentrations. Surface and deep prokaryotes had similar temperature‐normalized growth responses to extracts from each depth. Biological indicators (e.g., kinetics) suggest that prokaryotes were less efficient at catalyzing surface than deep DOM (catalytic efficiencies of 0.003–0.005 vs. 0.02–0.03 h−1, respectively). These values indicate qualitative differences in extracted DOM from the two depths, perhaps suggesting a variable nature of the refractory DOC depending on depth. Moreover, only a small portion of the extracted DOM was biologically utilizable, regardless of concentration factor or depth, and essentially only a small fraction of it was incorporated into biomass. Microbial selection against substrates that meet modest energy but no growth demands may be a factor contributing to the long‐term stability of marine DOM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antarctica's continental shelves generate the densest waters in the world and are responsible for the formation of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), a water mass with the potential to sequester carbon in the deep ocean for millennia. One such form of marine carbon is dissolved organic carbon (DOC), the ocean's largest standing stock of reduced carbon. In this study, we quantify DOC enrichment in dense shelf waters (DSW) in the Ross Sea and assess the potential for DOC to be sequestered from Antarctic shelves into AABW. We find that Ross Sea DSW is enriched in DOC by ∼7 μmol kg−1 relative to the incoming source waters (initial conditions), which is primarily caused by vertical mixing. The total DOC excess in DSW suggests that 4.0 ± 0.6 Tg DOC yr−1 is exported off the shelf. However, this exported fraction does not appear to persist in newly formed AABW and is likely remineralized, sequestering this carbon as TCO2 in the deep ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the abundance of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) is examined across a surface water gradient of organic carbon from a phytoplankton bloom region in the western North Atlantic to oligotrophic waters in the Sargasso Sea, including a coastal region sampled near Cape Cod. TEP are macrogels that reach up to millimeters in size and abiotically assemble from dissolved acidic polysaccharides secreted by phytoplankton. Due to their great stickiness, TEP self aggregate and also form aggregates with non-TEP particulate organic carbon (POC). Aggregation enhances ballasting, thereby mutually facilitating export and subsequent sedimentation of both TEP and POC, increasing the efficiency of the biological pump. Here, four distinct regions with varying chlorophyll a concentrations, temperature, and salinity were sampled in the upper column, at the surface, and from the sea surface microlayer (SML). While TEP in seawater shows no correlation to chlorophyll a , nutrients, or total organic carbon (TOC) concentration, a strong correlation exists between TEP and TOC in the SML; and concentrations of both variables are inversely proportional to surface productivity as indicated by chlorophyll a concentrations. As open ocean regions show greater enrichments of TEP and TOC in the SML compared to the coastal region, we suggest that the role of the SML in organic carbon cycling is dependent on regional biogeochemistry and productivity. We hypothesize that a lower abundance of particles in oligotrophic regions compared to bloom regions limits TEP export by sinking, thus increasing the residence time of TEP in the upper water column and the SML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The ocean plays a central role in modulating the Earth's carbon cycle. Monitoring how the ocean carbon cycle is changing is fundamental to managing climate change. Satellite remote sensing is currently our best tool for viewing the ocean surface globally and systematically, at high spatial and temporal resolutions, and the past few decades have seen an exponential growth in studies utilising satellite data for ocean carbon research. Satellite-based observations must be combined with in-situ observations and models, to obtain a comprehensive view of ocean carbon pools and fluxes. To help prioritise future research in this area, a workshop was organised that assembled leading experts working on the topic, from around the world, including remote-sensing scientists, field scientists and modellers, with the goal to articulate a collective view of the current status of ocean carbon research, identify gaps in knowledge, and formulate a scientific roadmap for the next decade, with an emphasis on evaluating where satellite remote sensing may contribute. A total of 449 scientists and stakeholders participated (with balanced gender representation), from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Sessions targeted both inorganic and organic pools of carbon in the ocean, in both dissolved and particulate form, as well as major fluxes of carbon between reservoirs (e.g., primary production) and at interfaces (e.g., air-sea and land–ocean). Extreme events, blue carbon and carbon budgeting were also key topics discussed. Emerging priorities identified include: expanding the networks and quality of in-situ observations; improved satellite retrievals; improved uncertainty quantification; improved understanding of vertical distributions; integration with models; improved techniques to bridge spatial and temporal scales of the different data sources; and improved fundamental understanding of the ocean carbon cycle, and of the interactions among pools of carbon and light. We also report on priorities for the specific pools and fluxes studied, and highlight issues and concerns that arose during discussions, such as the need to consider the environmental impact of satellites or space activities; the role satellites can play in monitoring ocean carbon dioxide removal approaches; economic valuation of the satellite based information; to consider how satellites can contribute to monitoring cycles of other important climatically-relevant compounds and elements; to promote diversity and inclusivity in ocean carbon research; to bring together communities working on different aspects of planetary carbon; maximising use of international bodies; to follow an open science approach; to explore new and innovative ways to remotely monitor ocean carbon; and to harness quantum computing. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive scientific roadmap for the next decade on how satellite remote sensing could help monitor the ocean carbon cycle, and its links to the other domains, such as terrestrial and atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many environmental factors are thought to control the bioavailability of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) for marine microbes including its composition, the microbial community structure, and nutrient availability, yet which factors dominate at the ocean basin scale remains uncertain. Understanding the controls on DOM lability is an important goal given the role of DOM in the marine carbon cycle. We performed DOM lability experiments at two contrasting stations, one oligotrophic and one mesotrophic, in the eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) to investigate the controls on microbial remineralization of surface ocean DOM. Surface layer dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen (DON) were recalcitrant to remineralization over 9 to 14 days when exposed to the microbial communities from the surface mixed layer, however exposure to microbial communities from the upper mesopelagic (twilight zone) allowed consumption of DOC but not DON. The DOC remineralization response differed between the mesotrophic site (~ 21 μM consumed), likely experiencing allochthonous inputs of DOM from the adjacent eastern boundary upwelling system, versus the oligotrophic station (~ 3 μM consumed) further offshore in the South Pacific gyre. DNA fingerprinting of the microbial communities across the ETSP with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analyses revealed greater differences between microbial communities in surface vs. subsurface (e.g., 100 m) waters at the same station than between surface water microbial communities separated by 1000s of kilometers. The subsurface microbial community at the mesotrophic station responsible for the greatest observed DOC remineralization, with a concomitant consumption of nitrate, consumed DOC to concentrations below that observed in situ (at 100 m), suggesting a potential role for co-metabolism of relatively labile with more recalcitrant DOC or relief from micronutrient limitation, in driving the additional DOC consumption. DOC remineralization by the mesopelagic (200 m) microbial community was much less at the oligotrophic station and similar to previously published results from the Sargasso Sea. Both microbial community composition and nutrient availability contribute to DOM persistence over weekly timescales in the surface mixed layer with varying degrees of DOC lability in the subsurface waters of the ETSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper synthesizes recent findings regarding microbial distributions and processes in the bathypelagic ocean (depth >1000m). Abundance, production and respiration of prokaryotes reflect supplies of particulate and dissolved organic matter to the bathypelagic zone. Better resolution of carbon fluxes mediated by deep microbes requires further testing on the validity of conversion factors. Archaea, especially marine Crenarchaeota Group I, are abundant in deep waters where they can fix dissolved inorganic carbon. Viruses appear to be important in the microbial loop in deep waters, displaying remarkably high virus to prokaryote abundance ratios in some oceanic regions. Sequencing of 18S rRNA genes revealed a tremendous diversity of small-sized protists in bathypelagic waters. Abundances of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and ciliates decrease with depth more steeply than prokaryotes; nonetheless, data indicated that HNF consumed half of prokaryote production in the bathypelagic zone. Aggregates are important habitats for deep-water microbes, which produce more extracellular enzymes (on a per-cell basis) than surface communities. The theory of marine gel formation provides a framework to unravel complex interactions between microbes and organic polymers. Recent data on the effects of hydrostatic pressure on microbial activities indicate that bathypelagic microbial activity is generally higher under in situ pressure conditions than at atmospheric pressures. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed a remarkable diversity of Bacteria in the bathypelagic ocean. Metagenomics and comparative genomics of piezophiles reveal not only the high diversity of deep sea microbes but also specific functional attributes of these piezophilic microbes, interpreted as an adaptation to the deep water environment. Taken together, the data compiled on bathypelagic microbes indicate that, despite high-pressure and low-temperature conditions, microbes in the bathypelagic ocean dynamically interact with complex mixtures of organic matter, responding to changes in the ocean’s biogeochemical state. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ammonium (NH4 +) concentration was measured at 15 stations in the NE Atlantic during the declining phase of the spring diatom bloom as part of the FISHES 2001 cruise. The NE Atlantic temperate spring bloom is one of the largest seasonal events in the oceanic cycle of primary productivity and represents the conversion of large amounts of oxidized nitrogen to organic (reduced) nitrogen by planktonic photosynthesis, much of which is recycled by heterotrophs as reduced N (DON and ammonium). We might expect recycled ammonium to be rapidly re-used by photosynthesizers. However, during the FISHES cruise the decline of the bloom was accompanied by a substantial buildup of dissolved ammonium (from ∼100 nM to >500 nM near the sea surface) caused by a temporary imbalance in production and consumption processes. Calculations of air–sea ammonia (NH3) flux under assumed ‘normal’ ‘peak bloom’ and ‘post-diatom-bloom’ conditions are presented and these demonstrate that over a wide range of temperatures, post-bloom accumulation of ammonium will lead to changes in the magnitude and direction of air–sea ammonia flux. If our results are generally applicable then the seasonal succession of plankton communities may be accompanied by periods of anomalously high ammonium concentration and hence be disproportionately important for air–sea ammonia flux. Once in the atmosphere, ammonia neutralizes acidity and in doing so plays a potentially significant role in climate forcing via aerosol formation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Episodic eddy-driven upwelling may supply a significant fraction of the nutrients required to sustain primary productivity of the subtropical ocean. New observations in the northwest Atlantic reveal that, although plankton blooms occur in both cyclones and mode-water eddies, the biological responses differ. Mode-water eddies can generate extraordinary diatom biomass and primary production at depth, relative to the time series near Bermuda. These blooms are sustained by eddy/wind interactions, which amplify the eddy-induced upwelling. In contrast, eddy/wind interactions dampen eddy-induced upwelling in cyclones. Carbon export inferred from oxygen anomalies in eddy cores is one to three times as much as annual new production for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep convective mixing of dissolved and suspended organic matter from the surface to depth can represent an important export pathway of the biological carbon pump. The seasonally oligotrophic Sargasso Sea experiences annual winter convective mixing to as deep as 300 m, providing a unique model system to examine dissolved organic matter (DOM) export and its subsequent compositional transformation by microbial oxidation. We analyzed biogeochemical and microbial parameters collected from the northwestern Sargasso Sea, including bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total dissolved amino acids (TDAA), dissolved metabolites, bacterial abundance and production, and bacterial community structure, to assess the fate and compositional transformation of DOM by microbes on a seasonal time-scale in 2016-2017. DOM dynamics at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study site followed a general annual trend of DOC accumulation in the surface during stratified periods followed by downward flux during winter convective mixing. Changes in the amino acid concentrations and compositions provide useful indices of diagenetic alteration of DOM. TDAA concentrations and degradation indices increased in the mesopelagic zone during mixing, indicating the export of a relatively less diagenetically altered (i.e., more labile) DOM. During periods of deep mixing, a unique subset of dissolved metabolites, such as amino acids, vitamins, and benzoic acids, was produced or lost. DOM export and compositional change were accompanied by mesopelagic bacterial growth and response of specific bacterial lineages in the SAR11, SAR202, and SAR86 clades, Acidimicrobiales , and Flavobacteria , during and shortly following deep mixing. Complementary DOM biogeochemistry and microbial measurements revealed seasonal changes in DOM composition and diagenetic state, highlighting microbial alteration of the quantity and quality of DOM in the ocean., Competing Interests: KV was employed by Microbial DNA Analytics. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Liu, Longnecker, Kujawinski, Vergin, Bolaños, Giovannoni, Parsons, Opalk, Halewood, Hansell, Johnson, Curry and Carlson.)

Marine polymer gels play a critical role in regulating ocean basin scale biogeochemical dynamics. This brief review introduces the crucial role of marine gels as a source of aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) in cloud formation processes, emphasizing Arctic marine microgels. We review the gel's composition and relation to aerosols, their emergent properties, and physico-chemical processes that explain their change in size spectra, specifically in relation to aerosols and CCN. Understanding organic aerosols and CCN in this context provides clear benefits to quantifying the role of marine nanogel/microgel in microphysical processes leading to cloud formation. This review emphasizes the DOC-marine gel/aerosolized gel-cloud link, critical to developing accurate climate models.

Marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) holds ~660 billion metric tons of carbon, making it one of Earth's major carbon reservoirs that is exchangeable with the atmosphere on annual to millennial time scales. The global ocean scale dynamics of the pool have become better illuminated over the past few decades, and those are very briefly described here. What is still far from understood is the dynamical control on this pool at the molecular level; in the case of this Special Issue, the role of microgels is poorly known. This manuscript provides the global context of a large pool of marine DOM upon which those missing insights can be built.

The bioavailability of organic matter (OM) to marine heterotrophic bacterioplankton is determined by both the chemical composition of OM and the microbial community composition. In the current study, changes in OM bioavailability were identified at Ocean Station Papa as part of the 2018 Export Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) field study. Removal rates of carbon (C) in controlled experiments were significantly correlated with the initial composition of total hydrolyzable amino acids, and C removal rates were high when the amino acid degradation index suggested a more labile composition. Carbon remineralization rates averaged 0.19 ± 0.08 μmol C L -1 d -1 over 6-10 days while bacterial growth efficiencies averaged 31 ± 7%. Amino acid composition and tandem mass spectrometry analysis of compound classes also revealed transformations to a more degraded OM composition during experiments. There was a log2-fold increase in the relative abundances of 16S rDNA-resolved bacterioplankton taxa in most experiments by members of the Methylophilaceae family (OM43 genus) and KI89A order. Additionally, when OM was more bioavailable, relative abundances increased by at least threefold for the classes Bacteroidetes ( Flavobacteriaceae NS2b genus), Alphaproteobacteria ( Rhodobacteraceae Sulfitobacter genus), and Gammaproteobacteria ( Alteromonadales and Ectothiorhodospiraceae orders). Our data suggest that a diverse group of bacterioplankton was responsible for removing organic carbon and altering the OM composition to a more degraded state. Elevated community diversity, as inferred from the Shannon-Wiener H index, may have contributed to relatively high growth efficiencies by the bacterioplankton. The data presented here shed light on the interconnections between OM bioavailability and key bacterioplankton taxa for the degradation of marine OM., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Taurine (Tau), an amino acid-like compound, is present in almost all marine metazoans including crustacean zooplankton. It plays an important physiological role in these organisms and is released into the ambient water throughout their life cycle. However, limited information is available on the release rates by marine organisms, the concentrations and turnover of Tau in the ocean. We determined dissolved free Tau concentrations throughout the water column and its release by abundant crustacean mesozooplankton at two open ocean sites (Gulf of Alaska and North Atlantic). At both locations, the concentrations of dissolved free Tau were in the low nM range (up to 15.7 nM) in epipelagic waters, declining sharply in the mesopelagic to about 0.2 nM and remaining fairly stable throughout the bathypelagic waters. Pacific amphipod-copepod assemblages exhibited lower dissolved free Tau release rates per unit biomass (0.8 ± 0.4 μmol g -1 C-biomass h -1 ) than Atlantic copepods (ranging between 1.3 ± 0.4 μmol g -1 C-biomass h -1 and 9.5 ± 2.1 μmol g -1 C-biomass h -1 ), in agreement with the well-documented inverse relationship between biomass-normalized excretion rates and body size. Our results indicate that crustacean zooplankton might contribute significantly to the dissolved organic matter flux in marine ecosystems via dissolved free Tau release. Based on the release rates and assuming steady state dissolved free Tau concentrations, turnover times of dissolved free Tau range from 0.05 d to 2.3 d in the upper water column and are therefore similar to those of dissolved free amino acids. This rapid turnover indicates that dissolved free Tau is efficiently consumed in oceanic waters, most likely by heterotrophic bacteria.