Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea

About this book

The next hundred years will see profound changes in the Ross Sea and Southern Ocean, which will be magnified in subsequent centuries. The role of Antarctic seas in regulating global climate through biogeochemical cycling is likely to change as well, with feedbacks partially determining our greenhouse future. The record of past planetary change in polar ice cores and marine sediments also suggests future surprises, including abrupt, major climate changes with physical and biological consequences. Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea presents the state of the science on such issues, and more.

Contents

Preface
Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea-An Introduction

Section 1: Physics and Hydrography of the Ross Sea
- The Ross Sea Circulation During the 1990s

Section 2: Phytoplankton Biomass and Primary Production in the Ross Sea
- Algal Pigment Ratios in the Ross Sea: Implications for CHEMTAX Analysis of Southern Ocean Data
- The Ross Sea Polynya Project: Diatom- and Phaeocystis-dominated Phytoplankton Assemblages in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, 1994 and 1995
- Evaluating Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation During Phaeocystis antarctica Blooms
- A Coupled Ocean-Ecosystem Model of the Ross Sea. Part 1: Interannual Variability of Primary Production and Phytoplankton Community Structure
- The Influence of Sea Ice on Ross Sea Biogeochemical Processes

Section 3: Dissolved Organic Matter and Microbial Dynamics in the Ross Sea
- The Contribution of Dissolved Organic Carbon and Nitrogen to the Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea
- Seasonal Production and Bacterial Utilization of DOC in the Ross Sea, Antarctica

Section 4: Nutrient Dynamics
- Effects of Ammonium on Nitrate Utilization in the Ross Sea, Antarctica: Implications for f-ratio Estimates
- Non-Redfield Production and Export of Marine Organic Matter: A Recurrent Part of the Annual Cycle in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
- Effects of Assemblage Composition on the Temporal Dynamics of Carbon and Nitrogen Uptake in the Ross Sea
- Flavodoxin as a Diagnostic Indicator of Chronic Iron Limitation in the Ross Sea and New Zealand Sector of the Southern Ocean

Section 5: Particulate Fluxes in the Ross Sea
- Rapid Sinking of Biogenic Material During the Late Austral Summer in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
- The Distribution of Particulate Organic Carbon and Its Dynamics in the Southern Ross Sea
- Larger Microplankton in the Ross Sea: Abundance, Biomass and Flux in the Austral Summer
- Annual Sedimentation Pattern of Zooplankton Fecal Pellets in the Southern Ross Sea: What Food Webs and Processes Does the Record Imply?

Section 6: Non-conservative Tracers and Biogenic Gases
- Dimethylsulfide Dynamics in the Ross Sea During Austral Summer
- The Annual Cycle of Surface Water CO2 and O2 in the Ross Sea: A Model for Gas Exchange on the Continental Shelves of Antarctica

Section 7: Benthic-Pelagic Coupling in the Ross Sea
- Benthic Carbon Cycling in the Ross Sea Polynya, Antarctica: Benthic Community Metabolism and Sediment Tracers
- Oceanographic Versus Seafloor-Habitat Control of Benthic Megafaunal Communities in the S.W. Ross Sea, Antarctica

Biogeochemistry of the Ross Sea-A Summary

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