GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, D-24105, Kiel, Germany.
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2017 Jun 23;7(1):4129. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-04106-9.
Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) are a class of marine gel particles and important links between surface ocean biology and atmospheric processes. Derived from marine microorganisms, these particles can facilitate the biological pumping of carbon dioxide to the deep sea, or act as cloud condensation and ice nucleation particles in the atmosphere. Yet, environmental controls on TEP abundance in the ocean are poorly known. Here, we investigated some of these controls during the first multiyear time-series on TEP abundance for the Fram Strait, the Atlantic gateway to the Central Arctic Ocean. Data collected at the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN during 2009 to 2014 indicate a strong biological control with highest abundance co-occurring with the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis pouchetii. Higher occurrence of P. pouchetii in the Arctic Ocean has previously been related to northward advection of warmer Atlantic waters, which is expected to increase in the future. Our study highlights the role of plankton key species in driving climate relevant processes; thus, changes in plankton distribution need to be accounted for when estimating the ocean's biogeochemical response to global change.
透明聚合物颗粒（TEP）是一类海洋凝胶颗粒，是海洋生物与大气过程之间的重要联系。这些颗粒来源于海洋微生物，可以促进二氧化碳从海洋表面向深海的生物泵输送，也可以在大气中充当云凝结核和冰核粒子。然而，海洋中 TEP 丰度的环境控制因素还知之甚少。在这里，我们研究了其中的一些控制因素，这是首次对弗拉姆海峡 TEP 丰度进行多年的时间序列研究，弗拉姆海峡是大西洋通往北极中央洋区的门户。在 2009 年至 2014 年期间，在豪斯加滕长期生态研究观测站收集的数据表明，TEP 丰度受到强烈的生物控制，其丰度最高与甲藻 Phaeocystis pouchetii 同时出现。先前的研究表明，北极海洋中 Phaeocystis pouchetii 的出现频率更高与北大西洋暖水的向北输送有关，预计未来这种情况将会增加。我们的研究强调了浮游生物关键物种在驱动与气候相关的过程中的作用；因此，在估计海洋对全球变化的生物地球化学响应时，需要考虑浮游生物分布的变化。
