A Circum-Antarctic Plankton Isoscape: Carbon Export Potential Across the Summertime Southern Ocean

Abstract

The Southern Ocean accounts for ∼30% of the ocean's CO₂ sink, partly due to its biological pump that transfers surface-produced organic carbon to deeper waters. To estimate large-scale Southern Ocean carbon export potential and characterize its drivers, we measured the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of surface suspended particulate matter (δ¹³C_SPM, δ¹⁵N_SPM) for samples collected in summer 2016/2017 during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (364 stations). Concurrent measurements of phytoplankton community composition revealed the dominance of large diatoms in the Antarctic and nano-phytoplankton (mainly haptophytes) in open Subantarctic waters. As expected, δ¹³C_SPM was strongly dependent on pCO₂, with local deviations in this relationship explained by phytoplankton community dynamics. δ¹⁵N_SPM reflected the nitrogen sources consumed by phytoplankton, with higher inferred nitrate (versus recycled ammonium) dependence generally coinciding with higher micro-phytoplankton abundances. Using δ¹⁵N_SPM and a two-endmember isotope mixing model, we quantified the extent of nitrate- versus ammonium-supported growth, which yields a measure of carbon export potential. We estimate that across the Southern Ocean, 41 ± 29% of the surface-produced organic carbon was potentially exported below the seasonal mixed layer during the growth season, with maximum export potential (50%–99%) occurring in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current's southern Boundary Zone and near the (Sub)Antarctic islands, reaching a minimum in the Subtropical Zone (<33%). Alongside iron, phytoplankton community composition emerged as an important driver of the Southern Ocean's biological pump, with large diatoms dominating regions characterized by high nitrate dependence and elevated carbon export potential and smaller, mainly non-diatom taxa proliferating in waters where recycled ammonium supported most productivity.