ME43A:
Zooplankton and Nekton: Gatekeepers of the Biological Pump I


Session ID#: 37348

Session Description:
Many zooplankton and nekton organisms migrate daily between the surface layer - where they feed at nighttime - and mesopelagic depth - where they hide from predation at daytime. These migrations can increase vertical export via active flux that can constitute half of the total carbon export. However, zooplankton and nekton also feed on and dis-aggregate particles, thereby reducing the vertical export. Zooplankton and nekton can therefore be considered gatekeepers of the biological pump - the active and passive export of carbon to depth. A detailed understanding of the biological pump and its modulation via climate change is necessary, as the biological pump is responsible for a significant withdrawal of carbon from the euphotic, climate active zone. Acoustic and in situ optic measurements allow us to monitor zooplankton, nekton, and particles at unprecedented detail and to link these observations to environmental conditions. Laboratory experiments give insights into individual-based processes ranging from animal activity at different conditions to the colonization of particles by microzooplankton. We invite contributions that link individual-based process studies and local to global scale observational or modelling approaches to better characterize the gatekeeper role of zooplankton and nekton for the biological pump.
Primary Chair:  Rainer Kiko, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Co-chairs:  Daniele Bianchi, University of California Los Angeles, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Amy Maas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Biology, Woods Hole, MA, United States and Morten Iversen, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Moderators:  Daniele Bianchi, University of California Los Angeles, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, United States, Morten Iversen, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Bremerhaven, Germany and Amy Maas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Biology, Woods Hole, MA, United States
Student Paper Review Liaisons:  Morten Iversen, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz-Center for Polar and Marine Research Bremerhaven, Bremerhaven, Germany and Amy Maas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Department of Biology, Woods Hole, MA, United States
Index Terms:

1615 Biogeochemical cycles, processes, and modeling [GLOBAL CHANGE]
1630 Impacts of global change [GLOBAL CHANGE]
4806 Carbon cycling [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL]
4890 Zooplankton [OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL]
Cross-Topics:
  • BN - Biogeochemistry and Nutrients
  • OM - Ocean Modeling
  • PC - Past, Present and Future Climate

Abstracts Submitted to this Session:

Quantifying particle flux attenuation using thorium-234 through the upper twilight zone by the gatekeepers of export (310750)
Ken Buesseler and Erin E Black, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States

See more of: Marine Ecosystems