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Article Dans Une Revue Biogeosciences Année : 2019

Main drivers of transparent exopolymer particle distribution across the surface Atlantic Ocean

Résumé

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are a class of gel particles, produced mainly by microorganisms, which play important roles in biogeochemical processes such as carbon cycling and export. TEPs (a) are colonized by carbon-consuming microbes; (b) mediate aggregation and sinking of organic matter and organisms, thereby contributing to the biological carbon pump; and (c) accumulate in the surface microlayer (SML) and affect air-sea gas exchange. The first step to evaluate the global influence of TEPs in these processes is the prediction of TEP occurrence in the ocean. Yet, little is known about the physical and biological variables that drive their abundance, particularly in the open ocean. Here we describe the horizontal TEP distribution, along with physical and biological variables, in surface waters along a north-south transect in the Atlantic Ocean during October-November 2014. Two main regions were separated due to remarkable differences: the open Atlantic Ocean (OAO, n = 30), and the Southwestern Atlantic Shelf (SWAS, n = 10). TEP concentration in the entire transect ranged 18.3-446.8 µg XG eq L −1 and averaged 117.1 ± 119.8 µg XG eq L −1 , with the maximum concentrations in the SWAS and in a station located at the edge of the Canary Coastal Upwelling (CU), and the highest TEP to chlorophyll a (TEP : Chl a) ratios in the OAO (183±56) and CU (1760). TEPs were significantly and positively related to Chl a and phytoplankton biomass, expressed in terms of C, along the entire transect. In the OAO, TEPs were positively related to some phytoplankton groups, mainly Synechococcus. They were negatively related to the previous 24 h averaged solar irradiance, suggesting that sunlight, particularly UV radiation, is more a sink than a source for TEP. Mul
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hal-04002519 , version 1 (23-02-2023)

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Marina Zamanillo, Eva Ortega-Retuerta, Sdena Nunes, Pablo Rodríguez-Ros, Manuel Dall'Osto, et al.. Main drivers of transparent exopolymer particle distribution across the surface Atlantic Ocean. Biogeosciences, 2019, 16, pp.733 - 749. ⟨10.5194/bg-16-733-2019⟩. ⟨hal-04002519⟩
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