Controls on biological production in the Southern Ocean
美国科学院院士 Prof. Michael Bender
Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS)
Net community production in the upper ocean is approximately equal to carbon export production, the rate at which organic carbon sinks out of the mixed layer or the euphotic zone. Net community production can be calculated from the O2and Ar concentrations of surface water samples, either with samples returned to the laboratory or with a mass spectrometer system that makes continuous measurements on a ship. We describe the method for making continuous measurements, and show results from about 50 crossings of the Southern Ocean. We then derive a simple approach for scaling the data, and use this approach to estimate the distribution of net community production throughout the Southern Ocean in summertime. Finally, we examine evidence for scales of variability in net community production in time and space, and discuss possible causes of this variability.
