Deep ocean communities impacted by changing climate over 24 y in the abyssal northeast Pacific Ocean.
The deep ocean, covering a vast expanse of the globe, relies almost exclusively on a food supply originating from primary production in surface waters. With well-documented warming of oceanic surface waters and conflicting reports of increasing and decreasing primary production trends, questions persist about how such changes impact deep ocean communities. A 24-y time-series study of sinking particulate organic carbon (food) supply and its utilization by the benthic community was conducted in the abyssal northeast Pacific (~4,000-m depth). Here we show that previous findings of food deficits are now punctuated by large episodic surpluses of particulate organic carbon reaching the sea floor, which meet utilization. Changing surface ocean conditions are translated to the deep ocean, where decadal peaks in supply, remineralization, and sequestration of organic carbon have broad implications for global carbon budget projections.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039.
Kenneth L
KL
Smith
Henry A
HA
Ruhl
Mati
M
Kahru
Christine L
CL
Huffard
Alana D
AD
Sherman
D058448:Biota / Q000502:physiology*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D057231:Climate Change / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005453:Fluorescence; D020387:Food Chain; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D011157:Population Dynamics
D002734:Chlorophyll; D002244:Carbon; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
carbon cycle; climate change; deep-sea ecology