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1.
The common assumption that the ratio between particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate 234Th obtained from shallow sediment traps and filterable particles are representative of the ratio in the total particle settling flux should be treated with caution in view of well-known biases associated with tethered shallow sediment traps and the decoupling between size and settling velocity of many natural particle regimes. To make progress toward reliably constraining the POC / 234Th ratio on truly settling particles, we have tested here a settling collection technique designed to remove any hydrodynamic bias; split flow-thin cell fractionation (SPLITT). These first results from a North Sea fjord and an open Baltic Sea time-series station indicates that the POC / 234Th ratio on the more complete particle-settling spectrum, isolated with SPLITT, was higher than the POC / 234Th ratio obtained simultaneously from tethered shallow sediment traps in seven out of seven parallel deployments with an average factor of 210%. The POC / 234Th ratio from the SPLITT was either in the same range or higher than that obtained on filtered “bulk” particles. To explain this novel data we hypothesize that the slowest settling fraction is organic-matter rich and does not strongly complex 234Th (i.e., high POC / 234Th). We suggest that this ultra-slow sinking fraction is better collected by SPLITT than with tethered sediment traps because of minimized hydrodynamic bias.This was tested using the ratio of POC / Al as a tracer of detrital mineral-ballast influenced settling velocity. The higher POC / Al ratios in SPLITT samples relative to in traps is consistent with the hypothesis that SPLITT is better suited for collecting also the slow-settling component of sinking particles. This important slow-settling component appears to here consist primarily of non-APS/TEP components of plankton exudates or other less-strongly 234Th-complexing organic matter. Further applications of the SPLITT technique are likely to return increasingly new insights on the composition (including “truly settling” POC / 234Th) of the total spectrum of particles settling out of the upper ocean.  相似文献   

2.
In order to better understand the relationship between the natural radionuclide 234Th and particulate organic carbon (POC), marine particles were collected in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea (spring/summer, 2003 and 2005) by sediment traps that separated them according to their in situ settling velocities. Particles also were collected in time-series sediment traps. Particles settling at rates of >100 m d−1 carried 50% and 60% of the POC and 234Th fluxes, respectively, in both sampling years. The POC flux decreased with depth for all particle settling velocity intervals, with the greatest decrease (factor of 2.3) in the slowly settling intervals (0.68–49 m d−1) over trap depths of 524–1918 m, likely due to dissolution and decomposition of material. In contrast the flux of 234Th associated with the slowly settling particles remained constant with depth, while 234Th fluxes on the rapidly settling particles increased. Taking into account decay of 234Th on the settling particles, the patterns of 234Th flux with depth suggest that either both slow and fast settling particles scavenge additional 234Th during their descent or there is significant exchange between the particle classes. The observed changes in POC and 234Th flux produce a general decrease in POC/234Th of the settling particles with depth. There is no consistent trend in POC/234Th with settling velocity, such as might be expected from surface area and volume considerations. Good correlations are observed between 234Th and POC, lithogenic material and CaCO3 for all settling velocity intervals. Pseudo-Kds calculated for 234Th in the shallow traps (2005) are ranked as lithogenic material opal <calcium carbonate <organic carbon. Organic carbon contributes 33% to the bulk Kd, and for lithogenic material, opal and CaCO3, the fraction is 22% each. Decreases in POC/234Th with depth are accompanied by increases in the ratio of 234Th to lithogenic material and opal. No change in the relationship between 234Th and CaCO3 was evident with depth. These patterns are consistent with loss of POC through decomposition, opal through dissolution and additional scavenging of 234Th onto lithogenic material as the particles sink.  相似文献   

3.
Th sorption and export models in the water column: A review   总被引：2，自引：3，他引：2  
Over the past few decades, the radioisotope pair of 238U / 234Th has been widely and increasingly used to describe particle dynamics and particle export fluxes in a variety of aquatic systems. The present paper is one of five review articles dedicated to 234Th. It is focused on the models associated with 234Th whereas the companion papers (same issue) are focused on present and future methodologies and techniques (Rutgers van der Loeff et al.), C / 234Th ratios (Buesseler et al.), 234Th speciation (Santschi et al.) and present and future applications of 234Th [Waples, J.T., Benitez-Nelson, C.R., Savoye, N., Rutgers van der Loeff, M., Baskaran, M., Gustafsson, Ö., this issue. An Introduction to the application and future use of 234Th in aquatic systems. Marine Chemistry, FATE special issue]. In this paper, we review current 234Th scavenging models and discuss the relative importance of the non-steady state and physical terms associated with the most commonly used model to estimate 234Th flux. Based on this discussion we recommend that for future work the use of models should be accompanied by a discussion of the effect that model and data uncertainty have on the model results. We also suggest that future field work incorporate repeat occupations of sample sites on time scales of 1–4 weeks in order to evaluate steady state versus non-steady state estimates of 234Th export, especially during high flux events (> ca. 800 dpm m− 2 d− 1). Finally, knowledge of the physical oceanography of the study area is essential, particularly in ocean margins and in areas of established upwelling (e.g., Equatorial Pacific). These suggestions will greatly enhance the application of 234Th as a tracer of particle dynamics and flux in more complicated regimes.  相似文献   

4.
234Th is a particle-reactive radionuclide widely used to trace biogeochemical oceanic processes occurring over short timescales. During the last few years, small-volume techniques based on the co-precipitation of 234Th with MnO2 coupled with beta-counting have been developed as an alternative to large volume gamma-spectrometric techniques. Here a procedure has been developed to enhance quantitative measurement of 234Th in MnO2 precipitates. The main objectives were to obtain a purified Th fraction for beta-counting and to determine the chemical recovery of 234Th using Th spikes and alpha-spectrometry as an alternative to ICP-MS based methods. Two variations of the procedure are presented. In the first “1 spike” method a 230Th tracer is added to the sample prior to precipitation of MnO2, and UTEVA® extraction chromatography is used to obtain a NdF3(Th) purified source that can be used for both beta-counting of 234Th and alpha-spectrometry of 230Th. In the “2 spike” method a 230Th spike is added and the MnO2(Th) precipitate is directly beta-counted for 234Th and subsequently spiked with 228Th or 229Th prior to UTEVA® purification and alpha-spectrometry. The results confirm the need to process small-volume seawater samples for 234Th measurement in presence of a yield tracer, and show that both the 1 spike and 2 spike methods allow an accurate and precise determination of 234Th (relative percent difference, RPD, between expected and mean measured value < 1%; CV between replicate samples < 3%). Our work also suggests that, although the combined analytical uncertainty on total 234Th measurements accomplished with both versions of the NdF3 procedure is promising (6% for 2-L samples), the precision of the 234Th flux estimation will ultimately depend on the degree of disequilibrium between 234Th and 238U.  相似文献   

5.
The deficit of 234Th relative to its radioactive parent 238U in the surface ocean can yield reliable estimates of vertical Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) fluxes to deeper waters, but only when coupled with an accurate ratio of POC concentration to activity of 234Th on sinking matter. Assuming a simple partitioning of suspended phytoplankton mass between single cells and flocs, we calculate the ratio of the POC flux estimated from 234Th deficit to the actual POC flux (p ratio, Smith, J.N., Moran, S.B., Speicher, E.A., in press. The p-ratio: a new diagnostic for evaluating the accuracy of upper ocean particulate organic carbon export fluxes estimated from 234Th/238U disequilibrium. Deep-Sea Research I.). The p ratios are calculated under the assumption that particle surface area is correlated with 234Th activity and particle volume is correlated with POC concentration. The value of the p ratio depends on the relative contributions of single cells and flocs to the vertical flux. When large single cells make up a significant fraction of the vertical flux, p ratios are less than one, meaning POC fluxes estimated from 234Th deficits underestimate actual POC fluxes. When large single cells are abundant but do not sink fast enough to contribute to vertical POC flux, p ratios are greater than one (up to 3 × overestimate). Factor analysis of the model indicates that altering the extent of flocculation in suspension and changing the density and maximum size of phytoplankton cells have the greatest effects on the p ratio. Failure to measure the properties of flocs when characterizing the ratio of POC to thorium on sinking matter potentially leads to large overestimation of the POC flux (over 20 ×). Failure to characterize the POC to thorium ratio of large particles, by, for example, destruction of phytoplankton cells in pumps, can lead to underestimation of POC flux. Estimates of POC flux should be most reliable in highly flocculated suspensions populated by small cells and rapidly sinking flocs. These conditions are often associated with intense phytoplankton blooms.  相似文献   

6.
Thorium-234 is increasingly used as a tracer of ocean particle flux, primarily as a means to estimate particulate organic carbon export from the surface ocean. This requires determination of both the 234Th activity distribution (in order to calculate 234Th fluxes) and an estimate of the C / 234Th ratio on sinking particles, to empirically derive C fluxes. In reviewing C / 234Th variability, results obtained using a single sampling method show the most predictable behavior. For example, in most studies that employ in situ pumps to collect size fractionated particles, C / 234Th either increases or is relatively invariant with increasing particle size (size classes > 1 to 100s μm). Observations also suggest that C / 234Th decreases with depth and can vary significantly between regions (highest in blooms of large diatoms and highly productive coastal settings). Comparisons of C fluxes derived from 234Th show good agreement with independent estimates of C flux, including mass balances of C and nutrients over appropriate space and time scales (within factors of 2–3). We recommend sampling for C / 234Th from a standard depth of 100 m, or at least one depth below the mixed layer using either large volume size fractionated filtration to capture the rarer large particles, or a sediment trap or other device to collect sinking particles. We also recommend collection of multiple 234Th profiles and C / 234Th samples during the course of longer observation periods to better sample temporal variations in both 234Th flux and the characteristic of sinking particles. We are encouraged by new technologies which are optimized to more reliably sample truly settling particles, and expect the utility of this tracer to increase, not just for upper ocean C fluxes but for other elements and processes deeper in the water column.  相似文献   

7.
Dissolved and particulate 234Th activities in surface seawater were determined at 27 stations along the coastline of western Taiwan during 19–23 November 2004. Contrasting scavenging settings were observed between the northern and southern regimes of the nearshore water off western Taiwan, separated by the Cho-Shui River. The northern regime is characterized by a large quantity of suspended load contributed by northward transport of a suspension plume from the Cho-Shui River, while the southern regime, low in suspended load and high in chlorophyll concentration, is a system controlled by biological activity. A scavenging model that takes account of the physical transport was used to estimate the 234Th budget in order to estimate the scavenging and removal rates from the nearshore water. The scavenging and removal rates ranged from 21 to 127 dpm m−3d−1 and from 36 to 525 dpm m−3d−1, for dissolved and particulate 234Th, respectively. The removal fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were estimated by multiplying the particulate 234Th removal flux to the organic carbon/234Th and nitrogen/234Th ratios in suspended particles, which ranged from 4.5 to 275.2 mmol-C m−2d−1 and from 1.3 to 50.1 mmol-N m−2d−1, respectively. These fluxes resulted in residence times of 1∼20 days for the POC in the surface water of nearshore water off western Taiwan.  相似文献   

8.
We utilized 234Th, a naturally occurring radionuclide, to quantify the particulate organic carbon (POC) export rates in the northern South China Sea (SCS) based on data collected in July 2000 (summer), May 2001 (spring) and November 2002 (autumn). Th-234 deficit was enhanced with depth in the euphotic zone, reaching a subsurface maximum at the Chl-a maximum in most cases, as commonly observed in many oceanic regimes. Th-234 was in general in equilibrium with 238U at a depth of ∼100 m, the bottom of the euphotic zone. In this study the 234Th deficit appeared to be less significant in November than in July and May. A surface excess of 234Th relative to 238U was found in the summer over the shelf of the northern SCS, most likely due to the accumulation of suspended particles entrapped by a salinity front. Comparison of the 234Th fluxes from the upper 10 m water column between 2-D and traditional 1-D models revealed agreement within the errors of estimation, suggesting the applicability of the 1-D model to this particular shelf region. 1-D model-based 234Th fluxes were converted to POC export rates using the ratios of bottle POC to 234Th. The values ranged from 5.3 to 26.6 mmol C m−2d−1 and were slightly higher than those in the southern SCS and other oligotrophic areas. POC export overall showed larger values in spring and summer than in autumn, the seasonality of which was, however, not significant. The highest POC export rate (26.6 mmol C m−2d−1) appeared at the shelf break in spring (May), when Chl-a increased and the community structure changed from pico-phytoplankton (<2 μm) dominated to nano-phytoplankton (2–20 μm) and micro-phytoplankton (20–200 μm) dominated.  相似文献   

9.
234Th/238U disequilibria have been used extensively in studies of particle dynamics and the fate and transport of particle-reactive matter in marine environments. Similar work in low salinity, estuarine, and freshwater systems has not occurred primarily because the lower concentrations of both parent and daughter nuclides that are typical of these systems often render established methods for the analysis of 234Th inadequate. The application of this radionuclide tracer technique to these systems, however, has great potential. To this end, we present a method for measuring low activities of 234Th in relatively small samples (<200 l) using low background gas-flow proportional counters, a 229Th yield monitor, and empirical corrections for the interferences from real and apparent betas that are emitted by other thorium isotopes and their progeny. For samples with low 234Th/228Th activity ratios, we improve upon current beta counting methodologies that rely on immediate sample counting, weak beta absorption, or multiple beta counts so that, using the analytical approach outlined here, it should be possible to measure 234Th activities (i) as low as 1.5 dpm/total sample, (ii) up to 2 weeks after radiochemical purification of thorium, and (iii) with only one sample count for alpha and beta activity.  相似文献   

10.
The short-lived thorium isotope 234Th (half-life 24.1 days) has been used as a tracer for a variety of transport processes in aquatic systems. Its use as a tracer of oceanic export via sinking particles has stimulated a rapidly increasing number of studies that require analyses of 234Th in both marine and freshwater systems. The original 234Th method is labor intensive. Thus, there has been a quest for simpler techniques that require smaller sample volumes. Here, we review current methodologies in the collection and analysis of 234Th from the water column, discuss their individual strengths and weaknesses, and provide an outlook on possible further improvements and future challenges. Also included in this review are recommendations on calibration procedures and the production of standard reference materials as well as a flow chart designed to help researchers find the most appropriate 234Th analytical technique for a specific aquatic regime and known sampling constraints.  相似文献   

11.
234 Th was utilized as a tracer of particulate organic carbon (POC) export in the northwestern South China Sea (SCS) on the basis of the data collected at four stations during a spring cruise.Depth profiles of dissolved and particulate 234 Th activities were measured in the upper 60 m,showing a significant deficit relative to 238 U over the investigated stations.A stratified structure of 234 Th-238 U disequilibrium was in general observed in the upper 60 m water column,indicating that the euphotic zone of t...  相似文献   

12.
对厦门湾塔角附近海域某站位叶绿素 a、POC、初级生产力、234Th/238U不平衡进行的周日变化研究表明,POC含量介于14.4～34.6 mmol/m3之间,其中碎屑有机碳与活体有机碳所占份额分别为74%～92%和8%～26%.POC垂直分布呈现由表及底降低的趋势,且白昼期间POC含量高于晚间,说明研究海域POC含量与生物过程具有密切联系.初级生产力水平在1d之中变化达5倍,垂直分布亦随深度增加而降低,与叶绿素a的变化相对应.短时间(2h)培养获得的初级生产力水平明显高于长时间培养(24 h)的结果,证实部分新固定的碳被优先呼吸排出.结合234Th/238U不平衡法获得的颗粒态234Th输出通量及输出界面颗粒物中的POC/PTh比值,可计算出真光层 POC的垂向输出通量为16.0mmol/(m2·d),其中碎屑有机碳与活体有机碳贡献的数量分别为13.3和2.7mmol/(m2·d).POC输出通量与初级生产力的比值(ThE比值)平均为0.31,真光层POC停留时间平均为11d.上述结果与Aksnes和Wassmann[1]的模型计算结果相吻合,但与其他大多数模型的结果仍存在一定的差异.  相似文献   

13.
The recently developed 2–5 L small-volume MnO2 coprecipitation method for determining 234Th in seawater has provided a new way to substantially increase, both temporally and spatially, the sampling resolution of 234Th and 234Th-based particulate organic carbon export estimates in the upper ocean. In this study, we further optimize the technique by reducing reagent quantities and the use of an additional water bath heating step. This optimization allows the filtration of the MnO2 precipitate onto a 25-mm diameter, 1.0 μm pore size QMA filter to be completed within < 30 min for unfiltered waters from the South China Sea. In addition, we have modified the MnO2 purification procedure to allow for alpha spectrometric measurements of 234Th recoveries. Results from recovery experiments suggest that reagent amounts can be reduced to 0.0375 mg KMnO4 and 0.1 mg MnCl2·4H2O per liter of sample, while still maintaining high 234Th recovery. This study further confirms that the addition of a yield monitor is necessary for the application of the small-volume method.  相似文献   

14.
234Th is an extremely useful radiotracer of particle dynamics in aquatic systems. Its utility, however, has yet to be realized by many within the aquatic science community. The reasons for this may in part be due to a lack of knowledge of how this nuclide has been used in the past as well as how and where 234Th might be profitably applied in future research. The purpose of this paper, then, is to examine the variety of 234Th applications that have been used to understand natural aquatic processes in four major areas: vertical transport, particle cycling, horizontal transport, and sediment dynamics. We provide a general overview of the possible applications of 234Th in the hopes of provoking an increased interest in the inherent potential and future application of 234Th in these systems. We end this paper with a discussion of future research avenues in the context of three specific regimes: (i) the upper 1000 m of the open ocean, (ii) coastal sediment/water processes and (iii) large freshwater lakes.  相似文献   

15.
We examined the impact of a cyclonic eddy and mode-water eddy on particle flux in the Sargasso Sea. The primary method used to quantify flux was based on measurements of the natural radionuclide, 234Th, and these flux estimates were compared to results from sediment traps in both eddies, and a 210Po/210Pb flux method in the mode-water eddy. Particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes at 150 m ranged 1–4 mmol C m−2 d−1 and were comparable between methods, especially considering differences in integration times scales of each approach. Our main conclusion is that relative to summer mean conditions at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site, eddy-driven changes in biogeochemistry did not enhance local POC fluxes during this later, more mature stage of the eddy life cycle (>6 months old). The absence of an enhancement in POC flux puts a constraint on the timing of higher POC flux events, which are thought to have caused the local O2 minima below each eddy, and must have taken place >2 months prior to our arrival. The mode-water eddy did enhance preferentially diatom biomass in its center, where we estimated a factor of three times higher biogenic Si flux than the BATS summer average. An unexpected finding in the highly depth-resolved 234Th data sets is narrow layers of particle export and remineralization within the eddy. In particular, a strong excess 234Th signal is seen below the deep chlorophyll maxima, which we attribute to remineralization of 234Th-bearing particles. At this depth below the euphotic zone, de novo particle production in the euphotic zone has stopped, yet particle remineralization continues via consumption of labile sinking material by bacteria and/or zooplankton. These data suggest that further study of processes in ocean layers is warranted not only within, but below the euphotic zone.  相似文献   

16.
Spring diatom blooms are important for sequestering atmospheric CO2 below the permanent thermocline in the form of particulate organic carbon (POC). We measured downward POC flux during a sub-polar North Atlantic spring bloom at 100 m using thorium-234 (234Th) disequilibria, and below 100 m using neutrally buoyant drifting sediment traps. The cruise followed a Lagrangian float, and a pronounced diatom bloom occurred in a 600 km2 area around the float. Particle flux was low during the first three weeks of the bloom, between 10 and 30 mg POC m−2 d−1. Then, nearly 20 days after the bloom had started, export as diagnosed from 234Th rose to 360-620 mg POC m−2 d−1, co-incident with silicate depletion in the surface mixed layer. Sediment traps at 600 and 750 m depth collected 160 and 150 mg POC m−2 d−1, with a settled volume of particles of 1000-1500 mL m−2 d−1. This implies that 25-43% of the 100 m POC export sank below 750 m. The sinking particles were ungrazed diatom aggregates that contained transparent exopolymer particles (TEP). We conclude that diatom blooms can lead to substantial particle export that is transferred efficiently through the mesopelagic. We also present an improved method of calibrating the Alcian Blue solution against Gum Xanthan for TEP measurements.  相似文献   

17.
The vertical sinking flux of particulate Al, Fe, Pb, and Ba from the upper 250 m of the Labrador Sea has been estimated from measurements of 234Th/238U disequilibrium and the respective metal/234Th ratios in >53 μm size particles. 234Th-derived particulate metal fluxes include in situ scavenged metals, labile lithogenic metals, and metals derived from external input (e.g., atmospheric supply). In contrast to the POC/234Th ratio, particle size-fractionated (0.4–10 μm, 10–53 μm, and >53 μm) Al/234Th, Fe/234Th and Pb/234Th, and Ba/234Th ratios generally increase with depth and exhibit no systematic change with particle diameter. Sinking fluxes of particulate Al (2.47–22.3 μmol m−2 d−1), Fe (2.69–16.3 μmol m−2 d−1), Pb (2.85–70 nmol m−2 d−1), and Ba (0.13–2.1 μmol m−2 d−1) at 50 m (base of the euphotic zone) and 100 m (base of the mixed layer) are largely within the range of previous sediment trap results from other ocean basins. Estimates of the upper ocean residence time of Al (0.07–0.28 yr) and Pb (0.8–2.9 yr) are short compared to previously reported values. The settling rate of >53 μm particles calculated from the 234Th data ranges from 14 to 38 m d−1.  相似文献   

18.
Disequilibrium between 234Th and 238U in water column profiles has been used to estimate the settling flux of Th (and, by proxy, of particulate organic carbon); yet potentially major non-steady-state influences on 234Th profiles are often not able to be considered in estimations of flux. We have compared temporal series of 234Th distributions in the upper water column at both coastal and deep-water sites in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea to coeval sediment trap records at the same sites. We have used sediment trap records of 234Th fluxes to predict temporal changes in water column 234Th deficits and have compared the predicted deficits to those measured to determine whether the time-evolution of the two coincide. At the coastal site (327 m water depth), trends in the two estimates of water column 234Th deficits are in fairly close agreement over the 1-month deployment during the spring bloom in 1999. In contrast, the pattern of water column 234Th deficits is poorly predicted by sediment trap records at the deep-water site (DYFAMED, 2300 m water depth) in both 2003 and 2005. In particular, the transition from a mesotrophic to an oligotrophic system, clearly seen in trap fluxes, is not evident in water column 234Th profiles, which show high-frequency variability. Allowing trapping efficiencies to vary from 100% does not reconcile the differences between trap and water column deficit observations; we conclude that substantial lateral and vertical advective influences must be invoked to account for the differences.Advective influences are potentially greater on 234Th fluxes derived from water column deficits relative to those obtained from traps because the calculation of deficits in open-ocean settings is dominated by the magnitude of the “dissolved” 234Th fraction. For observed current velocities of 5–20 cm s−1, in one radioactive mean-life of 234Th, the water column at the DYFAMED site can reflect 234Th scavenging produced tens to hundreds of kilometers away. In contrast, most of the 234Th flux collected in shallow sediment traps at the DFYFAMED site was in the fraction settling >200 m d−1; in effect the sediment trap can integrate the 234Th flux over distances 40-fold less than water column 234Th distributions. In some sense, sediment trap and water column sampling for 234Th provide complementary pictures of 234Th export. However, because the two methods can be dominated by different processes and are subject to different biases, their comparison must be treated with caution.  相似文献   

19.
Measurements of particle size-fractionated POC/234Th ratios and 234Th and POC fluxes were conducted using surface-tethered, free-floating, sediment traps and large-volume in-situ pumps during four cruises in 2004 and 2005 to the oligotrophic eastern Mediterranean Sea and the seasonally productive western Mediterranean and northwest Atlantic. Analysis of POC/234Th ratios in sediment trap material and 10, 20, 53, 70, and 100 μm size-fractionated particles indicate, for most stations, decreasing ratios with depth, a weak dependence on particle size, and ratios that converge to ～1–5 μmol dpm?1 below the euphotic zone (～100–150 m) throughout the contrasting biogeochemical regimes. In the oligotrophic waters of the Aegean Sea, 234Th and POC fluxes estimated using sediment traps were consistently higher than respective fluxes estimated from water-column 234Th–238U disequilibrium, observations that are attributed to terrigenous particle scavenging of 234Th. In the more productive western Mediterranean and northwest Atlantic, 234Th and POC fluxes measured by sediment trap and 234Th–238U disequilibrium agreed within a factor of 2–4 throughout the water column. An implication of these results is that estimates of POC export by sediment traps and 234Th–238U disequilibrium can be biased differently because of differential settling speeds of POC and 234Th-carrying particles.  相似文献   

20.
To gain new insights into the variability of particulate organic carbon (POC) fluxes and to better understand the factors controlling the POC/234Th ratios in suspended and sinking particulate matter, we investigated the relationships between POC/234Th ratios and biochemical composition (uronic acids, URA; total carbohydrates, TCHO; acid polysaccharides, APS; and POC) of suspended and sinking matter from the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and 2006. Our data show that URA/POC in sediment traps (STs), APS/POC in the suspended particles, and turnover times of particulate 234Th in the water column and those of bacteria in STs inside eddies usually increased with depth, whereas particulate POC/234Th (10–50 μm) and the sediment-trap parameters (POC flux, POC/234Th ratio, bacterial biomass, and bacterial production) decreased with depth. However, this trend was not the case for most biological parameters (e.g., phytoplankton and bacterial biomass) or for the other parameters at the edges of eddies or at coastal-upwelling sites.In general, the following relationships were observed: 1) 234Th/POC ratios in STs were correlated with APS flux, and these ratios in the 10–50 μm suspended particles also correlated with URA/POC ratios; 2) neither URA fluxes nor URA/POC ratios were significantly related to bacterial biomass; 3) the sum of two uronic acids (G2, glucuronic, and galacturonic acid, which composed most of the URA pool) was positively related to bacterial biomass; and 4) the POC/234Th ratios in intermediate-sized particles (10–50 μm) were close to those in sinking particles but much lower than those in > 50 μm particles. The results indicate that acid polysaccharides, though a minor fraction (~ 1%) of the organic carbon, act more likely as proxy compound classes that might contain the more refractory 234Th-binding biopolymer, rather than acting as the original 234Th “scavenger” compound. Moreover, these acid polysaccharides, which might first be produced by phytoplankton and then modified by bacteria, also influence the on-and-off “piggy-back” processes of organic matter and 234Th, thus causing additional variability of the POC/234Th in particles of different sizes.  相似文献   

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