The carbon transport mediated by the mild oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the seamount area of the Western Pacific

Lilian Wen; Jun Ma; Xuegang Li; Jiajia Dai; Jinming Song; Qidong Wang; Kuidong Xu; Jianwei Xing; Baoxiao Qu; Guorong Zhong

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106916

The carbon transport mediated by the mild oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) in the seamount area of the Western Pacific

Mar Environ Res. 2024 Dec 21:204:106916. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106916. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Lilian Wen¹, Jun Ma², Xuegang Li³, Jiajia Dai⁴, Jinming Song⁵, Qidong Wang⁴, Kuidong Xu⁶, Jianwei Xing⁴, Baoxiao Qu⁴, Guorong Zhong⁴

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266237, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address: majun@qdio.ac.cn.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao, 266237, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China. Electronic address: jmsong@qdio.ac.cn.
⁶ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.

PMID: 39721560
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106916

Abstract

This study analyzed the relationship between the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) and various types of carbon, such as POC, DOC, and DIC, in the Y3 seamount area in the Western Pacific. The results indicated that the OMZ was located at 200-1000 m and a threshold of 100 μmol/kg was established for this area of the Western Pacific. The DOC and POC changed drastically out of OMZ while they were relatively stable within the OMZ due to the low oxygen. The rates of decrease in DOC and POC within the OMZ were significantly lower than those above the OMZ, indicating that the organic matter (OM) degradation rate within the OMZ was much lower than that above the OMZ. DIC maintained a continuously increasing trend with depth, but the DIC growth rate above, within, and below the OMZ decreased gradually. The controlling factors for the various types of carbon were different. POC was closely related to the decomposition of OM. The presence of recalcitrant organic carbon in DOC weakened the relationship between DOC and OM decomposition, and DIC components were complex and related to biological activity, temperature, and carbonate manifestation. This study explored the distribution of various types of carbon in the Western Pacific, providing support for studying the marine carbon cycle under a low-oxygen background.

Keywords: Dissolved inorganic carbon; Dissolved organic carbon; Oxygen minimum zone; Particulate organic carbon; Seamount.