Rapid Down‐Slope Transport of Fresh Dissolved Organic Matter to the Deep Ocean in the Eastern North Atlantic
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5138-564X, Lefebvre, Alice, Miramontes, Elda, Grotheer, Hendrik, Elvert, Marcus, Wendt, Jenny, Dittmar, Thorsten and Holtappels, Moritz
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3682-1903
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Intense convective mixing in the central North Atlantic is a major gateway for dissolved organic matter (DOM) into the deep ocean, sustaining elevated dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. Rapid down-slope transport on adjacent Irish and Hebrides Margins represents another, less-explored mechanism contributing to the deep-sea DOM reservoir. Our analyses of solid-phase extractable DOM (SPE-DOM) in bottom waters in this region showed 7–11 μM higher DOC concentration and 190–330 years youngerSPE-DOM radiocarbon ages compared to similar depths in the open eastern North Atlantic. We estimated a down-slope DOC flux of 43 Tg C yr−1 from the Irish and Hebrides shelves. During transport, conservative mixing, dominated by physical rather than biological/chemical processes, determined the molecular DOM composition, while minor particulate organic matter degradation introduced less-refractory DOM with terrigenous characteristics. Thus, rapid down-slope transport emerges as an efficient conduit for delivering fresh DOM into the deep ocean.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5138-564X, Lefebvre, Alice, Miramontes, Elda, Grotheer, Hendrik, Elvert, Marcus, Wendt, Jenny, Dittmar, Thorsten and Holtappels, Moritz
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3682-1903
;
AWI Organizations > Geosciences > Marine Geochemistry
