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Insights into the coupling of upper ocean-benthic carbon dynamics in the western Arctic Ocean from an isotopic (13C, 234Th) perspective

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Abstract

The coupling of upper ocean-benthic carbon dynamics in the ice-free western Arctic Ocean (the Chukchi Sea and the Canada Basin) was evaluated during the late July-early September 2003 using natural stable (13C) and radioactive (238U-234Th) isotope tracers. POC export flux estimated from 234Th/238U disequilibria and dissolved CO2 concentration ([CO2(aq)]) pointed out that the strengthened biological pump in the Chukchi Shelf have significantly lowered [CO2(aq)] and altered the magnitude of isotopic (12C/13C) fractionation during carbon fixation in the surface ocean. Further, δ 13C signatures of surface sediments (δ 13Csed) are positively correlated to those of weighted δ 13CPOC in upper ocean (δ 13Csed =13.64+1.56×δ 13CPOC, r 2=0.73, p<0.01), suggesting that the POC isotopic signals from upper ocean have been recorded in the sediments, partly due to the rapid export of particles as evidenced by low residence times of the highly particle-reactive 234Th from the upper water column. It is suggested that there probably exists an upper ocean-benthic coupling of carbon dynamics, which likely assures the sedimentary δ 13C record an indicator of paleo-CO2 in the western Arctic Ocean.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Run Zhang, Min Chen, Qiang Ma, Jianping Cao & Yusheng Qiu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China

    Min Chen & Yusheng Qiu

Authors
  1. Run Zhang
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  2. Min Chen
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  3. Qiang Ma
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  4. Jianping Cao
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  5. Yusheng Qiu
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Correspondence to Min Chen.

Additional information

Foundation item: Chinese Polar Environment Comprehensive Investigation and Assessment Programs under contract Nos CHINARE 2014-03-04-03 and CHINARE 2014-04-03-05; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41125020 and 41206062; a special scientific research project for public welfare under contract No. 201105022-4; the research project supported by the State Oceanic Administration under contract No. GASI-03-01-02-02; the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province of China under contract No. 2014J05049.

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Zhang, R., Chen, M., Ma, Q. et al. Insights into the coupling of upper ocean-benthic carbon dynamics in the western Arctic Ocean from an isotopic (13C, 234Th) perspective. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 34, 26–33 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0684-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-015-0684-x

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