Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean

Letscher, Robert T.; Moore, J. Keith

doi:10.1002/2016GB005503

Title: Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean

Journal Article · Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Global Biogeochemical Cycles

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GB005503· OSTI ID:1465338

^[1]; Moore, J. Keith ^[1]

Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States). Earth System Science

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.

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Research Organization:: Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0012550

OSTI ID:: 1465338

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1402335

Journal Information:: Global Biogeochemical Cycles, Vol. 31, Issue 4; ISSN 0886-6236

Publisher:: American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 10 works

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Title: Modest net autotrophy in the oligotrophic ocean

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