Budget of dissolved organic carbon in the South China Sea assessed by an eddy-resolving ocean model

Dissolved organic carbon makes up the majority of marine organic carbon. How do different physical and biogeochemical processes interact to contribute to the budgets of DOC and particulate organic carbon? Are there unique dynamics in different regions? The journal Science China Earth Sciences published online a carbon cycle study in the South China Sea led by Dr. Peng Xiu and Dr. Wentao Ma. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate processes of carbon fixation, sequestration, and the interaction between the biological carbon pump and the microbial carbon pump. The budget of organic carbon in the SCS is less studied. The team used an eddy-resolving marine physical-biogeochemical model to analyze the seasonal changes in phytoplankton photosynthesis and the storage of these fixed carbon in the SCS. "Our research focused on two main carbon sequestration paths, one is the storage in deep sea through gravitational sinking and remineralization of the POC, which is known as the biological carbon pump, and the other one is the microbial carbon pump, which transforms DOC from labile to refractory forms through microbial activities." Dr. Xiu introduces. The production of refractory DOC reaches 26% of the carbon sequestration rate of the biological carbon pump, and its contribution to carbon storage cannot be ignored. More information: Wentao Ma et al, Production of dissolved organic carbon in the South China Sea: A modeling study, Science China Earth Sciences. Citation: Budget of dissolved organic carbon in the South China Sea assessed by an eddy-resolving ocean model retrieved 7 January 2022 from https://phys. org/news/2022-01-dissolved-carbon-south-china-sea.