Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean
Abstract
The metabolic state of the oligotrophic subtropical ocean has long been debated. Net community production (NCP) represents the balance of autotrophic carbon fixation with heterotrophic respiration. Many in vitro NCP estimates based on oxygen incubation methods and the corresponding scaling relationships used to predict the ecosystem metabolic balance have suggested the ocean gyres to be net heterotrophic; however, all in situ NCP methods find net autotrophy. Reconciling net heterotrophy requires significant allochthonous inputs of organic carbon to the oligotrophic gyres to sustain a preponderance of respiration over in situ production. Here we use the first global ecosystem-ocean circulation model that contains representation of the three allochthonous carbon sources to the open ocean, to show that the five oligotrophic gyres exhibit modest net autotrophy throughout the seasonal cycle. Annually integrated rates of NCP vary in the range ~1.5–2.2 mol O2 m-2 yr-1 across the five gyre systems; however, seasonal NCP rates are as low as ~1 ± 0.5 mmol O2 m-2 d-1 for the North Atlantic. Volumetric NCP rates are heterotrophic below the 10% light level; however, they become net autotrophic when integrated over the euphotic zone. Observational uncertainties when measuring these modest autotrophic NCP rates as well as the metabolicmore »
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1465338
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1402335
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0012550
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Global Biogeochemical Cycles
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 31; Journal Issue: 4; Journal ID: ISSN 0886-6236
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 58 GEOSCIENCES; net community production; metabolic state; oligotrophic gyres; autotrophic; heterotrophic
Citation Formats
Letscher, Robert T., and Moore, J. Keith. Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1002/2016GB005503.
Letscher, Robert T., & Moore, J. Keith. Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005503
Letscher, Robert T., and Moore, J. Keith. Sat .
"Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005503. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1465338.
@article{osti_1465338,
title = {Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean},
author = {Letscher, Robert T. and Moore, J. Keith},
abstractNote = {The metabolic state of the oligotrophic subtropical ocean has long been debated. Net community production (NCP) represents the balance of autotrophic carbon fixation with heterotrophic respiration. Many in vitro NCP estimates based on oxygen incubation methods and the corresponding scaling relationships used to predict the ecosystem metabolic balance have suggested the ocean gyres to be net heterotrophic; however, all in situ NCP methods find net autotrophy. Reconciling net heterotrophy requires significant allochthonous inputs of organic carbon to the oligotrophic gyres to sustain a preponderance of respiration over in situ production. Here we use the first global ecosystem-ocean circulation model that contains representation of the three allochthonous carbon sources to the open ocean, to show that the five oligotrophic gyres exhibit modest net autotrophy throughout the seasonal cycle. Annually integrated rates of NCP vary in the range ~1.5–2.2 mol O2 m-2 yr-1 across the five gyre systems; however, seasonal NCP rates are as low as ~1 ± 0.5 mmol O2 m-2 d-1 for the North Atlantic. Volumetric NCP rates are heterotrophic below the 10% light level; however, they become net autotrophic when integrated over the euphotic zone. Observational uncertainties when measuring these modest autotrophic NCP rates as well as the metabolic diversity encountered across space and time complicate the scaling up of in vitro measurements to the ecosystem scale and may partially explain the previous reports of net heterotrophy. The oligotrophic ocean is autotrophic at present; however, it could shift toward seasonal heterotrophy in the future as rising temperatures stimulate respiration.},
doi = {10.1002/2016GB005503},
journal = {Global Biogeochemical Cycles},
number = 4,
volume = 31,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}
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