Biogeosciences
www.biogeosciences.net
1726-4170
1726-4189
5
2
2008
10.5194/bg-5-463-2008
http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/463/2008/
http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/463/2008/bg-5-463-2008.html
http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/463/2008/bg-5-463-2008.pdf
463
474
2008-03-28
Gross community production and metabolic balance in the South Pacific Gyre, using a non intrusive bio-optical method
H. Claustre
claustre@obs-vlfr.fr
Y. Huot
I. Obernosterer
B. Gentili
D. Tailliez
M. Lewis
UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7093, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
CNRS, UMR 7093, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris6, UMR7621, F66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France ; CNRS, UMR7621, F-66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France
Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1, Canada
The very clear waters of the South Pacific Gyre likely constitute an
end-member of oligotrophic conditions which remain essentially unknown with
respect to its impact on carbon fixation and exportation. We describe a
non-intrusive bio-optical method to quantify the various terms of a
production budget (Gross community production, community losses, net
community production) in this area. This method is based on the analysis of
the diel cycle in Particulate Organic Carbon (POC), derived from high
frequency measurements of the particle attenuation coefficient <i>c</i><sub>p</sub>. We
report very high integrated rates of Gross Community Production within the
euphotic layer (average of 846±484 mg C m<sup>−2</sup> d<sup>−1</sup> for 17 stations) that are far above any rates determined using incubation
techniques for such areas. Furthermore we show that the daily production of
POC is essentially balanced by the losses so that the system cannot be
considered as net heterotrophic. Our results thus agree well with
geochemical methods, but not with incubation studies based on oxygen
methods. We stress to the important role of deep layers, below the euphotic
layer, in contributing to carbon fixation when incident irradiance at the
ocean surface is high (absence of cloud coverage). These deep layers, not
considered up to know, might fuel part of the heterotrophic processes in the
upper layer, including through dissolved organic carbon. We further
demonstrate that, in these extremely clear and stratified waters, integrated
gross community production is proportional to the POC content and surface
irradiance via an efficiency index ψ <sub>GCP</sub><sup>*</sup>, the water
column cross section for Gross Community Production. We finally discuss our
results in the context of the role of oligotrophic gyre in the global carbon
budget and of the possibility of using optical proxies from space for the
development of growth community rather than primary production global
models.
Antoine, D., André, J. M., and Morel, A.: Oceanic primary production 2. Estimation at global scale from satellite (coastal zone color scanner) chlorophyll, Global Biogeochem. Cyc., 10, 57–69, 1996.
Antoine, D., Morel, A., Gordon, H. R., Banzon, V. F., and Evans, R. H.: Bridging ocean color observations of the 1980's and 2000's in search of long-term trends, J. Geophys. Res., 110, C06009, doi:10.1029/2004JC002620, 2005.
Behrenfeld, M. J., Boss, E., Siegel, D. A., and Shea, D. M.: Carbon-based ocean productivity and phytoplankton physiology from space, Global Biogeochem. Cyc., 19, GB1006, doi:10.1029/2004GB002299, 2005.
Beja, O., Spudich, E. N., Spudich, J. L., Leclerc, M., and DeLong, E. F.: Proteorhodopsin phototrophy in the ocean, Nature, 411, 786–789, 2001.
Church, M. J., Ducklow, H., and Karl, D.: Multiyear increases in dissolved organic matter inventories at station ALOHA in the North Pacific Gyre, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47, 1–10, 2002.
Church, M. J., Ducklow, H. W., and Karl, D. A.: Light dependence of [H-3]leucine incorporation in the oligotrophic North Pacific ocean Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 70, 4079–4087, 2004.
Claustre, H. and Maritorena, S.: The many shades of ocean blue, Science, 302, 1514–1515, 2003.
Claustre, H., Morel, A., Babin, M., Cailliau, C., Marie, D., Marty, J. C., Tailliez, D., and Vaulot, D.: Variability in particle attenuation and chlorophyll fluorescence in the Tropical Pacific: Scales, patterns, and biogeochemical implications, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 3401–3422, 1999.
Claustre, H., Bricaud, A., Babin, M., Bruyant, F., Guillou, L., Le Gall, F., Marie, D., and Partensky, F.: Diel variations in Prochlorococcus optical properties, Limnol. Oceanogr., 47, 1637–1647, 2002.
Claustre, H., Sciandra, A., and Vaulot, D.: Introduction to the special section: bio-optical and biogeochemical conditions in the South East Pacific in late 2004 – the BIOSOPE program, Biogeosciences Discuss., 5, 605–640, 2008.
Cullen, J. J., Lewis, M. R., Davis, C. O., and Barber, R. T.: Photosynthetic characteristics and estimated growth rates indicate grazing is the proximate control of primary production in the equatorial pacific, J. Geophys. Res., 97, 639–654, 1992.
del Giorgio, P. A. and Duarte, C. M.: Respiration in the open ocean, Nature, 420, 379–384, 2002.
del Giorgio, P. A., Cole, J. J., and Cimbleris, A.: Respiration rates in bacteria exceed phytoplankton production in unproductive aquatic systems, Nature, 385, 148, 1997.
Dietze, H. and Oschlies, A.: Modeling abiotic production of apparent oxygen utilisation in the oligotrophic subtropical North Atlantic, Ocean Dynam., 55, 28–33, 2005.
DuRand, M. D. and Olson, R. J.: Contributions of phytoplankton light scattering and cell concentration changes to diel variations in beam attenuation in the equatorial pacific from flow cytometric measurements of pico-, ultra- and nanoplankton, Deep-Sea Res. II, 43, 891–906, 1996.
DuRand, M. D., and Olson, R. J.: Diel patterns in optical properties of the chlorophyte nannochloris sp.: Relating individual-cell to bulk measurements, Limnol. Oceanogr., 43, 1107–1118, 1998.
Falkowski, P. G.: Light-shade adaptation and assimilation numbers, J. Plankton Res., 3, 203–216, 1981.
Gardner, W. D., Walsh, I. D., and Richardson, M. J.: Biophysical forcing of particle production and distribution during a spring bloom in the North Atlantic, Deep-Sea Res. Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 40, 171–195, 1993.
Gardner, W. D., Mishonov, A. V., and Richardson, M. J.: Global POC concentrations from in-situ and satellite data, Deep-Sea Res. II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 53, 718, 2006.
Grob, C., Ulloa, O., Claustre, H., Alarcon, G., Huot, Y., and Marie, D.: Contribution of picoplankton to the particulate attenuation coefficient (cp) and organic carbon concentration (POC) in the eastern South Pacific, Biogeosciences Discuss., 4, 837–852, 2007.
Gruber, N.: A bigger nitrogen fix, Nature, 436, 786, 2005.
Hansell, D., Ducklow, H., Macdonald, A. M., and O'Neil Baringer, M.: Metabolic poise in the north atlantic ocean diagnosed from organic matter transports, Limnol. Oceanogr., 49, 1084–1094, 2004.
Jenkins, W. J.: Oxygen utilization rates in North Atlantic subtropical gyre and primary production in oligotrophic systems, Nature, 300, 246–248, 1982.
Jenkins, W. J.: Nitrate flux into the euphotic zone near Bermuda, Nature, 331, 521–523, 1988.
Juranek, L. W. and Quay, P. D.: In vitro and in situ gross primary and net community production in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre using labeled and natural abundance isotopes of dissolved O<sub>2</sub>, Global Biogeochem. Cyc., 19, GB3009, doi:10.1029/2004GB002384, 2005.
Karl, D.: Hidden in a sea of microbes, Nature, 415, 590–591, 2002.
Karl, D., Bidigare, R. R., and Letelier, R.: Sustained and aperiodic variability in organic matter production and phototrophic microbial community structure in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, in: Phytoplankton productivity, Carbon assimilation in marine and freshwater ecosystems, edited by: P. J. L. Williams, D. N. Thomas, and C. S. Reynolds, Blackwell publishing, 222–264, 2002.
Karl, D., Laws, E. A., Morris, P., Williams, P. J. l., and Emerson, S.: Metabolic balance of the open sea, Nature, 426, 32, 2003.
Karl, D. M., Hebel, D. V., Bjorkman, K., and Letelier, R. M.: The role of dissolved organic matter release in the productivity of the oligotrophic North Pacific Ocean, Limnol. Oceanogr., 43, 1270–1286, 1998.
Laws, E. A., Redalie, D. G., Haas, L. W., Bienfang, P. K., Eppley, R. W., Harrison, W. G., Karl, D. M., and Marra, J.: High phytoplankton growth and production rates in oligotrophic hawaiian coastal waters, Limnol. Oceanogr., 29, 1161–1169, 1984.
Laws, E. A.: Photosynthetic quotients, new production and net community production in the open ocean, Deep-Sea Res., 38, 143–167, 1991.
Lewis, M. R., Harrison, W. G., Oakey, N. S., Hebert, D., and Platt, T.: Vertical Nitrate Fluxes In The Oligotrophic Ocean, Science, 224, 870–873, 1986.
Loisel, H. and Morel, A.: Light scattering and chlorophyll concentration in case 1 waters: A reexamination, Limnol. Oceanogr., 43, 847–858, 1998.
Malone, T. C.: Primary production of the ocean water column as a function of surface light intensity, Deep-Sea Res., 34, 139, 1987.
Marra, J.: Primary production in the north atlantic: Measurements, scaling, and optical determinants, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B, 348, 153–160, 1995.
Marra, J.: Capabilities and merits of long-term bio-optical moorings, in: Ocean optics, edited by: Spinrad, R. W., Carder, K. L., and Perry, M. J., Oxford University Press, New York, 189–201, 1994.
Marra, J.: Approaches for the measurement of plankton production, in: Phytoplankton productivity, Carbon assimilation in marine and freshwater ecosystems, edited by: Williams, P. J. L., Thomas, D. N., and Reynolds, C. S., Blackwell publishing, 78–108, 2002.
Morel, A.: Optical modeling of the upper ocean in relation to its biogenous matter content (Case 1 waters), J. Geophys. Res., 93, 10 749–10 768, 1988.
Morel, A.: Light and marine photosynthesis: A spectral model with geochemical and climatological implications, Progress in Oceanography, 26, 263–306, 1991.
Morel, A., Gentili, B., Claustre, H., Babin, M., Bricaud, A., Ras, J., and Tieche, F.: Optical properties of the "clearest" natural waters, Limnol. Oceanogr., 52, 217–229, 2007a.
Morel, A., Huot, Y., Gentili, B., Werdell, P. J., Hooker, S. B., and Franz, B. A.: Examining the consistency of products derived from various ocean color sensors in open ocean (Case 1) waters in the perspective of a multi-sensor approach, Remote Sensing of Environment, 111, 69–88, 2007b.
Oschlies, A.: Can eddies make ocean deserts bloom?, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 16, 1106, doi:10.1029/2001GB001830, 2002.
Raimbault, P., Garcia, N., and Cerrutti, F.: Distribution of inorganic and organic nutrients in the south pacific ocean -evidence for long-term accumulation of organic matter in nitrogen-depleted waters, Biogeosciences, 5, 281–298, 2008.
Ras, J., Uitz, J., and Claustre, H.: Spatial variability of phytoplankton pigment distribution in the south east pacific, Biogeosciences, 5, 353–369, 2008.
Siegel, D. A., Dickey, T. D., Washburn, L., Hamilton, M. K., and Mitchell, B. G.: Optical determination of particulate abundance and production variations in the oligotrophic ocean, Deep-Sea Res., 36, 211–222, 1989.
Sieracki, M. E., Gilg, I. C., Thier, E. C., Poulton, N. J., and Goericke, R.: Distribution of planktonic aerobic anoxygenic photoheterotrophic bacteria in the northwest Atlantic, Limnol. Oceanogr., 51, 38–46, 2006.
Stramski, D. and Kiefer, D. A.: Light scattering by microorganisms in the open ocean, Progress in Oceanography, 28, 343–383, 1991.
Stramski, D. and Reynolds, R. A.: Diel variations in the optical properties of a marine diatom, Limnol. Oceanogr., 38, 1347–1364, 1993.
Stramski, D., Shalapyonok, A., and Reynolds, R. A.: Optical characterization of the oceanic unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus grown under a day-night cycle in natural irradiance, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 13 295–13 307, 1995.
Stramski, D., Reynolds, R. A., Babin, M., Kaczmarek, S., Lewis, M. R., Rottgers, R., Sciandra, A., Stramska, M., Twardowski, M. S., and Claustre, H.: Relationships between the surface concentration of particulate organic carbon and optical properties in the eastern south pacific and eastern atlantic oceans, Biogeosciences, 5, 171–201, 2008.
Van Wambeke, F., Obernosterer, I., Moutin, T., Duhamel, S., Ulloa, O., and Claustre, H.: Heterotrophic bacterial production in the south east pacific: Longitudinal trends and coupling with primary production, Biogeosciences Discuss., 4, 2761–2791, 2007.
Vaulot, D., Marie, D., Olson, R. J., and Chisholm, S. W.: Growth of Prochlorococcus, a photosynthetic prokaryote, in the equatorial pacific ocean, Science, 268, 1480–1482, 1995.
Walsh, I. D., Chung, S. P., Richardson, M. J., and Gardner, W. D.: The diel cycle in the integrated particle load in the Equatorial Pacific: A comparison with primary production, Deep-Sea Res., 42, 465–477, 1995.
Williams, P. J. L., Morris, P. J., and Karl, D. M.: Net community production and metabolic balance at the oligotrophic ocean site, station ALOHA, Deep-Sea Res., 51, 1563–1578, 2004.
Williams, P. J. l. B.: The balance of plankton respiration and photosynthesis in the open oceans, Nature, 394, 55–57, 1998.