title: Microbial production of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter: long-term carbon storage in the global ocean.
abstract: The biological pump is a process whereby CO(2) in the upper ocean is fixed by primary producers and transported to the deep ocean as sinking biogenic particles or as dissolved organic matter. The fate of most of this exported material is remineralization to CO(2), which accumulates in deep waters until it is eventually ventilated again at the sea surface. However, a proportion of the fixed carbon is not mineralized but is instead stored for millennia as recalcitrant dissolved organic matter. The processes and mechanisms involved in the generation of this large carbon reservoir are poorly understood. Here, we propose the microbial carbon pump as a conceptual framework to address this important, multifaceted biogeochemical problem.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Sciences, Xiamen University, 361005, China. Jiao@xmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Nianzhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Gerhard J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Herndl
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hansell
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benner
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kattner
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kirchman
authors.forename: Markus G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Weinbauer
authors.forename: Tingwei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Farooq
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001105:Archaea / Q000378:metabolism; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000378:metabolism*; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000378:metabolism; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014780:Viruses / Q000378:metabolism; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009930:Organic Chemicals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide