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Organic Carbon Flux Through the Benthic Community in the Temperate Abyssal Northeast Atlantic

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Deep-Sea Food Chains and the Global Carbon Cycle

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 360))

Abstract

In order to assess the carbon flux through the deep-sea benthic boundary layer, sediment community oxygen consumption (SCOC) was measured in different months and years at the BIOTRANS area in the abyssal northeastern Atlantic. SCOC varied seasonally with a maximum in July/August. Evidence is given for a direct coupling between a substantial sedimentation of phytodetritus and the seasonal increase in SCOC. Rapid colonization, growth and decomposition rates indicate that the deep-sea benthic microbial and protozoan biota can react quickly to substantial falls of particulate organic matter. They seem to be the most important groups to generate seasonal changes in deep-sea benthic carbon flux rates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Meereskunde, Abt. Marine Mikrobiologie an der Universität Kiel, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, Kiel 1, Germany, 2300

    O. Pfannkuche

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  1. O. Pfannkuche
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oceanography Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA, TX

    Gilbert T. Rowe  & Vita Pariente  & 

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Pfannkuche, O. (1992). Organic Carbon Flux Through the Benthic Community in the Temperate Abyssal Northeast Atlantic. In: Rowe, G.T., Pariente, V. (eds) Deep-Sea Food Chains and the Global Carbon Cycle. NATO ASI Series, vol 360. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2452-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-2452-2_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-5082-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-2452-2

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