Modulation of the vertical particle transfer efficiency in the oxygen minimum zone off Peru
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Abstract
The fate of the organic matter (OM) produced by marine life controls the major biogeochemical cycles of the Earth's system. The OM produced through photosynthesis is either preserved, exported towards sediments or degraded through remineralisation in the water column. The productive eastern boundary upwelling systems (EBUSs) associated with oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) would be expected to foster OM preservation due to low O 2 conditions. But their intense and diverse microbial activity should enhance OM degradation. To investigate this contradiction, sediment traps were deployed near the oxycline and in the OMZ core on an instrumented moored line off Peru. Data provided high-temporal-resolution O 2 series characterising two seasonal steady states at the upper trap: suboxic ([O 2 ]<25 µmol kg −1 ) and hypoxic–oxic (15<[O2]<160 µmol kg −1 ) in austral summer and winter–spring, respectively. The OMZ vertical transfer efficiency of particulate organic carbon (POC) between traps ( T eff ) can be classified into three main ranges (high, intermediate, low). These different T eff ranges suggest that both predominant preservation (high T eff >50 %) and remineralisation (intermediate T eff 20 < 50 % or low T eff <6 %) configurations can occur. An efficient OMZ vertical transfer ( T eff >50 %) has been reported in summer and winter associated with extreme limitation in O 2 concentrations or OM quantity for OM degradation. However, higher levels of O 2 or OM, or less refractory OM, at the oxycline, even in a co-limitation context, can decrease the OMZ transfer efficiency to below 50 %. This is especially true in summer during intraseasonal wind-driven oxygenation events. In late winter and early spring, high oxygenation conditions together with high fluxes of sinking particles trigger a shutdown of the OMZ transfer ( T eff <6 %). Transfer efficiency of chemical elements composing the majority of the flux (nitrogen, phosphorus, silica, calcium carbonate) follows the same trend as for carbon, with the lowest transfer level being in late winter and early spring. Regarding particulate isotopes, vertical transfer of δ 15 N suggests a complex pattern of 15 N impoverishment or enrichment according to T eff modulation. This sensitivity of OM to O 2 fluctuations and particle concentration calls for further investigation into OM and O 2 -driven remineralisation processes. This should include consideration of the intermittent behaviour of OMZ towards OM demonstrated in past studies and climate projections.
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The assumption that OMZs strengthen the biological carbon pump does not account for intense microbial activity, which may foster organic matter degradation or remineralisation.
“This assumption does not account for the intense microbial activity, which may foster OM degradation or remineralisation (Bretagnon et al., 2018).”
From The tropical atlantic observing system (2019) · cites this paper as Bretagnon et al., 2018
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Foltz, G. R., Brandt, P., Richter, I., Rodríguez-Fonseca, B., Hernandez, F., Dengler, M., Rodrigues, R. R., Schmidt, J. O., Yu, L., Lefevre, N., et al. (2019) · Frontiers in Marine Science · doi:10.3389/fmars.2019.00206 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
“This assumption does not account for the intense microbial activity, which may foster OM degradation or remineralisation (Bretagnon et al., 2018).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
- Authors
- Bretagnon, M., Paulmier, A., Garçon, V., Dewitte, B., Illig, S., Leblond, N., Coppola, L., Campos, F., Velazco, F., Panagiotopoulos, C., Oschlies, A., Hernandez-Ayon, J. M., Maske, H., Vergara, O., Montes, I., Martinez, P., Carrasco, E., Grelet, J., Desprez-De-Gesincourt, O., Maes, C., & Scouarnec, L.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Instituto Geofísico del Perú (PE)
- Instituto del Mar del Peru (PE)
- Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (MX)
- Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (FR)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Bretagnon, Marine
- ORCID
- Venue
- Biogeosciences
- Publisher
- Copernicus GmbH
- Published
- 2018-08-27
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 16
- Pages
- 5093-5111
- ISSN
- 1726-4170 (ISSN-L)
- 1726-4189
- OpenAlex
- W2794796824
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 1.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Biogeosciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Americanae (AECID Library) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Institutional Archive of Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Biogeosciences (European Geosciences Union) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB‐754)
- Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Oceanography › Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Keywords
- oxygen minimum zone, particulate organic carbon, organic matter mineralization, organic matter preservation, eastern boundary upwelling systems, oxycline, suboxic conditions, hypoxia, seasonal variation, nitrogen isotopes, particle flux, sediment traps, Peru continental shelf, biogeochemical cycles, recalcitrant organic matter
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