Identifying Saharan dust driven export of biogenic material in the ultraoligotrophic eastern Mediterranean Sea

IF 2.8 2区生物学 Q1 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY

Frontiers in Marine Science Pub Date : 2025-03-05 DOI:10.3389/fmars.2025.1537028

Anouk P. E. van Boxtel, Jan-Berend W. Stuut, Francien Peterse

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

To assess the effects of dust deposition on the strength of the biological pump in the Mediterranean Sea by acting as fertilizer and/or ballasting agent, we analyzed fluxes of mineral dust, particulate organic carbon (POC) and inorganic carbon (PIC), and source-specific lipid biomarkers (i.e., higher plant-derived long-chain fatty acids and phytoplankton-derived alkenones, C30 1,15 diols, and sterols) in sinking particles. Sinking particles were collected at ten-day intervals by a sediment-trap mooring deployed in the Ionian Basin from April 2017 to May 2018 at 2340 m water depth. High POC fluxes occur during summer, when surface ocean primary production is lowest due to thermal stratification. Notably, these high POC fluxes coincide with pulses of substantial dust deposition, suggesting that POC export is primarily driven by dust deposition and subsequent ballasting. However, the lipid composition, and thereby that of the phytoplankton community, differs between dust events. (Seasonal) variations in the properties of the deposited dust, presumably associated with its provenance, likely control the effect of dust deposition on phytoplankton response and export in the Ionian Basin. Although POC export is associated with dust deposition, the net effect of dust deposition on the biological pump is more ambiguous as not all dust events are associated with an increase in POC export, and most dust events are also associated with PIC export that has a counteracting effect on the biological pump. Multi-year time series of dust deposition and biogenic export are required to validate the seasonal variations in dust-driven export of biogenic material observed here, and to account for effects of interannual variations in dust fluxes and phytoplankton production on the strength of the biological pump.

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来源期刊

Frontiers in Marine Science Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Aquatic Science

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

16.20%

发文量

2443

审稿时长

14 weeks

期刊介绍： Frontiers in Marine Science publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research that advances our understanding of all aspects of the environment, biology, ecosystem functioning and human interactions with the oceans. Field Chief Editor Carlos M. Duarte at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal is supported by an outstanding Editorial Board of international researchers. This multidisciplinary open-access journal is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, policy makers and the public worldwide. With the human population predicted to reach 9 billion people by 2050, it is clear that traditional land resources will not suffice to meet the demand for food or energy, required to support high-quality livelihoods. As a result, the oceans are emerging as a source of untapped assets, with new innovative industries, such as aquaculture, marine biotechnology, marine energy and deep-sea mining growing rapidly under a new era characterized by rapid growth of a blue, ocean-based economy. The sustainability of the blue economy is closely dependent on our knowledge about how to mitigate the impacts of the multiple pressures on the ocean ecosystem associated with the increased scale and diversification of industry operations in the ocean and global human pressures on the environment. Therefore, Frontiers in Marine Science particularly welcomes the communication of research outcomes addressing ocean-based solutions for the emerging challenges, including improved forecasting and observational capacities, understanding biodiversity and ecosystem problems, locally and globally, effective management strategies to maintain ocean health, and an improved capacity to sustainably derive resources from the oceans.