Effects of desert plant communities on soil enzyme activities and soil organic carbon in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia,China

It is of great significance to study the effects of desert plants on soil enzyme activities and soil organic carbon(SOC)for maintaining the stability of the desert ecosystem.In this study,we studied the responses of soil enzyme activities and SOC fractions(particulate organic carbon(POC)and mineral-associated organic carbon(MAOC))to five typical desert plant communities(Convolvulus tragacanthoides,Ephedra rhytidosperma,Stipa breviflora,Stipa tianschanica var.gobica,and Salsola laricifolia communities)in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,China.We recorded the plant community information mainly including the plant coverage and herb and shrub species,and obtained the aboveground biomass and plant species diversity through sample surveys in late July 2023.Soil samples were also collected at depths of 0–10 cm(topsoil)and 10–20 cm(subsoil)to determine the soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities.The results showed that the plant coverage and aboveground biomass of S.laricifolia community were significantly higher than those of C.tragacanthoides,S.breviflora,and S.tianschanica var.gobica communities(P<0.05).Soil enzyme activities varied among different plant communities.In the topsoil,the enzyme activities of alkaline phosphatase(ALP)andβ-1,4-glucosidas(βG)were significantly higher in E.rhytidosperma and S.tianschanica var.gobica communities than in other plant communities(P<0.05).The topsoil had higher POC and MAOC contents than the subsoil.Specifically,the content of POC in the topsoil was 18.17%–42.73%higher than that in the subsoil.The structural equation model(SEM)indicated that plant species diversity,soil pH,and soil water content(SWC)were the main factors influencing POC and MAOC.The soil pH inhibited the formation of POC and promoted the formation of MAOC.Conversely,SWC stimulated POC production and hindered MAOC formation.Our study aimed to gain insight into the effects of desert plant communities on soil enzyme activities and SOC fractions,as well as the drivers of SOC fractions in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain and other desert ecosystems.

Forest management causes soil carbon loss by reducing particulate organic carbon in Guangxi, Southern China

Background: The loss of soil organic carbon(SOC) following conversion of natural forests to managed plantations has been widely reported. However, how different SOC fractions and microbial necromass C(MNC) respond to forest management practices remains unclear.Methods: We sampled 0–10 cm mineral soil from three different management plantations and one protected forest in Guangxi, Southern China, to explore how forest management practices affect SOC through changing mineralassociated C(MAOC) and particulate organic C(POC), as well as fungal and bacterial necromass C.Results: Compared with the protected forest, SOC and POC in the abandoned, mixed and Eucalyptus plantations significantly decreased, but MAOC showed no significant change, indicating that the loss of SOC was mainly from decreased POC under forest management. Forest management also significantly reduced root biomass, soil extractable organic C, MNC, and total microbial biomass(measured by phospholipid fatty acid), but increased fungi-to-bacteria ratio(F:B) and soil peroxidase activity. Moreover, POC was positively correlated with root biomass, total microbial biomass and MNC, and negatively with F:B and peroxidase activity. These results suggested that root input and microbial properties together regulated soil POC dynamics during forest management.Conclusion: Overall, this study indicates that forest management intervention significantly decreases SOC by reducing POC in Guangxi, Southern China, and suggests that forest protection can help to sequester more soil C in forest ecosystems.

Source and spatial distributions of particulate organic carbon and its isotope in surface waters of Prydz Bay, Antarctica, during summer

In this study, we investigated the distributions of sea-surface suspended particulate organic carbon （POC） and its stable isotope （δ13C POC） in Prydz Bay, Antarctica, and examined the factors influencing their distribution, sources, and transport. We used measurements collected from 61 stations in Prydz Bay during the 29th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition, in combination with remote sensing data on sea surface temperature （SST）, chlorophyll a concentration, and sea ice coverage. The POC concentration in the surface waters of Prydz Bay was 0.28-0.84 mg.L-1, with an average concentration of 0.48 mg.L-1. The δ13C POC value ranged from -29.68‰ to -26.30‰, with an average of-28.01‰. The concentration of suspended POC was highest in near-shore areas and in western Prydz Bay. The POC concentration was correlated with chlorophyll a concentration and sea ice coverage, suggesting that POC was associated with phytoplankton production in local water columns, while the growth of phytoplankton was obviously affected by sea ice coverage. The δ13C poc value in suspended particles decreased gradually towards the outer waters of Prydz Bay, while in eastern Prydz Bay the δ13Cpoc value become gradually more negative from nearshore to deep-water areas, suggesting that δ13C poc was mainly influenced by CO2 fixation by phytoplankton. The δ13C POC value in suspended particles near Zhongshan Station was significantly negative, possibly as a result of the input of terrigenous organic matter and changes in the phytoplankton species composition in the nearshore area.

SEASONAL CHANGES OF DISSOLVED AND PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON IN DONGHU LAKE,CHINA

Concentrations of dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC) were documented in 1996-1997 at 4 different trophic state stations in Donghu Lake, a typical shallow eutrophic lake along the Changjiang River’s middle reaches. The mean concentrations of DOC were 15.11±3.26, 15.19±4.24, 14.27±3.43, and 13.31±3.30 mg/L in Station I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The DOC concentrations of the studied area were very similar to that in other lakes along the Changjiang River’s middle reaches. The POC mean of the whole lake was 5.01 mg/L due to the large amount of organic detritus of both allochthonous and autochthonous origin. Significant linear relationship was found between POC and chlorophyll a at all 4 stations, which presumably reflect that phytoplankton, its exudates and its metabolic products were the main contributors to the POC pool in the water column. The slope of such linear relationship at Station IV was significantly steeper than that at Station I, II and III. In addition, the DOC/POC ratios (mean value: 4.40) indicated that the organic detritus was the most important component of the particulate organic matter; in other words, next to organic detritus, phytoplankton dominated the particulate organic matter in Donghu Lake.

Review and suggestions for estimating particulate organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon inventories in the ocean using remote sensing data

Dissolved organic carbon（DOC） and particulate organic carbon（POC） are basic variables for the ocean carbon cycle.Knowledge of the distribution and inventory of these variables is important for a better estimation and understanding of the global carbon cycle.Owing to its considerable advantages in spatial and temporal coverage,remote sensing data provide estimates of DOC and POC inventories,which are able to give a synthetic view for the distribution and transportation of carbon pools.To estimate organic carbon inventories using remote sensing involves integration of the surface concentration and vertical profile models,and the development of these models is critical to the accuracy of estimates.Hence,the distribution and control factors of DOC and POC in the ocean first are briefly summarized,and then studies of DOC and POC inventories and flux estimations are reviewed,most of which are based on field data and few of which consider the vertical distributions of POC or DOC.There is some research on the estimation of POC inventory by remote sensing,mainly in the open ocean,in which three kinds of vertical profile models have been proposed：the uniform,exponential decay,and Gauss models.However,research on remote-sensing estimation of the DOC inventory remains lacking.A synthetic review of approaches used to estimate the organic carbon inventories is offered and the future development of methods is discussed for such estimates using remote sensing data in coastal waters.

Empirical ocean color algorithm for estimating particulate organic carbon in the South China Sea

We examined regional empirical equations for estimating the surface concentration of particulate organic carbon(POC) in the South China Sea. These algorithms are based on the direct relationships between POC and the blue-to-green band ratios of spectral remotely sensed reflectance,R rs( λ B)/ R rs(555). The best error statistics among the considered formulas were produced using the power function POC(mg/m 3)=262.173 [ R rs(443)/ R rs(555)]- 0.940. This formula resulted in a small mean bias of approximately-2.52%,a normalized root mean square error of 31.1%,and a determination coefficient of 0.91. This regional empirical equation is different to the results of similar studies in other oceanic regions. Our validation results suggest that our regional empirical formula performs better than the global algorithm,in the South China Sea. The feasibility of this band ratio algorithm is primarily due to the relationship between POC and the green-toblue ratio of the particle absorption coefficient. Colored dissolved organic matter can be an important source of noise in the band ratio formula. Finally,we applied the empirical algorithm to investigate POC changes in the southwest of Luzon Strait.

Sources of particulate organic matter in the Chukchi and Siberian shelves: clues from carbon and nitrogen isotopes

The stable isotopic composition(δ13C andδ15N)and carbon/nitrogen ratio(C/N)of particulate organic matter(POM)in the Chukchi and East Siberian shelves from July to September,2016 were measured to evaluate the spatial variability and origin of POM.Theδ13CPOC values were in the range of−29.5‰to−17.5‰with an average of−25.9‰±2.0‰,and theδ15NPN values ranged from 3.9‰to 13.1‰with an average of 8.0‰±1.6‰.The C/N ratios in the East Siberian shelf were generally higher than those in the Chukchi shelf,while theδ13C andδ15N values were just the opposite.Abnormally low C/N ratios(<4),lowδ13CPOC(almost−28‰)and highδ15NPN(>10‰)values were observed in the Wrangel Island polynya,which was attributed to the early bloom of small phytoplankton.The contributions of terrestrial POM,bloom-produced POM and non-bloom marine POM were estimated using a three end-member mixing model.The spatial distribution of terrestrial POM showed a high fraction in the East Siberian shelf and decreased eastward,indicating the influence of Russian rivers.The distribution of non-bloom marine POM showed a high fraction in the Chukchi shelf with the highest fraction occurring in the Bering Strait and decreased westward,suggesting the stimulation of biological production by the Pacific inflow in the Chukchi shelf.The fractions of bloom-produced POM were highest in the winter polynya and gradually decreased toward the periphery.A negative relationship between the bloom-produced POM and the sea ice meltwater inventory was observed,indicating that the net sea ice loss promotes early bloom in the polynya.Given the high fraction of bloom-produced POM,the early bloom of phytoplankton in the polynyas may play an important role on marine production and POM export in the Arctic shelves.

Particulate organic carbon export fluxes on Chukchi Shelf,western Arctic Ocean,derived from ^(210)Po/^(210)Pb disequilibrium

Fluxes of particulate organic carbon(POC) were derived from 2 10 Po/ 210 Pb disequilibrium during the 4th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE-4) from July 1 to September 28,2010. Average residence times of particulate 2 10 P o in the euphotic zone were-16.00 a to 1.54 a,which are higher than those of dissolved 2 10 Po(-6.89 a to-0.70 a). Great excesses of dissolved 210 Po were observed at all stations,with an average 2 10 Po/ 210 Pb ratio of 1.91±0.20,resulting from 2 10 Pb atmospheric deposition after sea ice melt. POC fluxes from the euphotic zone were estimated by two methods(E and B) in the irreversible scavenging model. Estimated POC fluxes were 945–126 mmol C/(m2·a) and 1 848–109 mmol C/(m2·a) by methods E and B,respectively,both decreasing from low to high latitude. The results are comparable to previous works for the same region,indicating efficient biological pumping in the Chukchi Sea. The results can improve understanding of the carbon cycle in the western Arctic Ocean.

Sources and transport of particulate organic carbon in the Amazon River and its estuary

Stable carbon isotope ratios have been used to study the sources of particulate organic carbon(POC) in the Amazon River and its tributaries, and to examine the transport of the riverine POC intothe oceanic environment. POC in the upper reaches of the Amazon River has more positive δC values(--24.5‰ to -- 28.0‰) than that in the middle and lower reaches (--27.9‰ to -- 30.1‰). TheδC of POC from the tributaries is generally more negative than that observed in the Amazon mainchannel. This δC datum shows that the POC in the Amazon main channel is predominantly of terres-trial origin rather than a result of in situ production. A large range of δC values (--17.5‰ to -28.4‰) is observed in the Amazon Estuary and plume. and is considered as the result of the mixing

DISSOLVED AND PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON IN YANTAI SISHILI BAY AQUICULTURE WATERS

Investigation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) at 12 stations in Yantai Sishili Bay in May, August, and November of 1997 and March and May of 1998 showed that DOC concentrations varied from 1.14 mg/L to 5.35 mg/L; that the average values at all stations in each cruise varied from 1.52 mg/L to 2.12 mg/L; that POC concentrations varied from 0.049 mg/L to 1.411 mg/L; and averaged 0.159 mg/L to 0.631 mg/L in each cruise. Horizontal distribution of DOC was influenced by factors such as continental input, organism activity, temperature, aquiculture environment, etc. The higher POC concentration occurred along the coast. The vertical distribution of DOC and POC changed obviously in spring and summer, but not obviously in autumn and winter. DOC concentration was highest in summer and POC in spring; both were lowest in winter. The seasonal change of DOC was consistent with primary productivity seasonal variation, and that of POC was consistent with chlorophyll a seasonal variation. The seasonal change trend of the C/N ratio of dissolved organic matter was obvious, but the C/N ratio of particulate organic matter had no such trend.

VARIATIONS OF THE SUSPENDED MATTER AND THE PARTICULATE ORGANIC CARBON IN THE ENTRY OF THE GIRONDE ESTUARY, FRANCE

The effects of using different types of glass fiber filters (GF/F, GF/C) and of sample treatments evaluated. Studies on the variation of suspended matter (SM) and particulate organic carbon (POC) showed that: 1) the transversal and day to night variations are important and must be taken into account in order to get a corrcet river flux; 2) no regular seasonal variations of SM and POC observed, as they are controlled essentially by the climatological, hydrologic, physiochernical, biological, and geological conditions of the drainage area.

Preliminary study on particulate organic carbon export fluxes in the Bering Sea

During the Second Chinese National Arctic Expedition （CHINARE） from July to September 2003, depth profiles of dissolved and particulate 234Th in upper water columns were collected at two stations of BR03 and BR24 in the Bering Sea. 234Th was sampled by using a traditional Fe （OH） 3 co-precipitation technique, which is a reliable approach to 234Th measurement. We observed 234 Wh excess at station BR03 below the euphotic zone, which was possibly due to the intensive remineralization of particulate matter. Particulate organic carbon （POC） export fluxes were estimated from a one-dimensional irreversible steady state model of ^234Th fluxes together with measurements of the POC/^234 Th ratio on the suspended particles. The POC export fluxes from the euphotic zone were II. 66 and I1.69 mmol C m^-2 d^- 1 at BR03 and BR24 stations, respectively. The ratios of POC fluxes to primary production at the two stations were about 0.5 and 0.59, respectively, probably due to the presence of large phytoplankton （in particular diatoms）.

基于卫星遥感的南海海域POC浓度时空变化特征研究

海水中颗粒有机碳(POC)是海洋碳循环的基本变量,在海洋碳循环研究中起着关键作用。根据2003—2020年南海区域遥感数据反演的POC数据集,分析了南海海域POC浓度时空变化规律。研究结果表明:在整个研究区POC的年平均浓度变化范围为76.98~83.91 mg/m^(3);POC浓度分布呈现出近岸高、远海低,主要原因为南海近岸浅水海域POC浓度主要受陆源输入和沿岸流影响,远海区域内POC浓度主要受南海环流和水团控制。在季度上,第1—4季度POC浓度平均值为89.62,72.90,79.22,84.86 mg/m^(3);总体上POC浓度呈现出夏季低、冬季高的趋势,主要原因为南海受到冬季的东北季风和夏季的西南季风影响,影响到南海海水混合层的结构变化,浮游植物在冬季比夏季更为繁盛。在月尺度上,1月POC浓度平均值达到最高值;2—4月POC浓度平均值快速下降,5月POC浓度平均值达到最低值;6—12月POC浓度平均值开始缓慢上升。以上研究结论可为南海碳循环、政府碳达峰、碳中和及应对气候变化等提供决策依据。

Active organic carbon pool of coniferous and broad-leaved forest soils in the mountainous areas of Beijing

In order to explore the effects of different forest types on active soil carbon pool, the amounts and density of soil organic carbon （SOC） were studied at different soil horizons under typical coniferous and broad-leaved forests in the mountainous area of Beijing. The results showed that the amount of total SOC, readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons and the amounts at depths of 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm in broad-leaved forest was clearly higher than that in coniferous forests. The trend of a decrease in SOC density with increasing depth of the soil horizon was similar to that of the amount of SOC. However, no regular trend was found for SOC density at different depths between coniferous forest and broad-leaved forests. The ratio of readily oxidizable carbon to total amount of SOC ranged from 0.36-0.45 and the ratio of particulate organic carbon to total amount of SOC from 0.28-0.73; the ratios decreased with increasing depths of soil horizons. Active SOC was significantly correlated with total SOC; the relationship between readily oxidizable carbon and particulate organic carbon was significant. A broad-leaved forest may produce more SOC than a coniferous forest.

Effect of fire intensity on active organic and total soil carbon in a Larix gmelinii forest in the Daxing'anling Mountains,Northeastern China

Studying contents and seasonal dynamics of active organic carbon in the soil is an important method for revealing the turnover and regulation mechanism of soil carbon pool. Through 3 years of field sampling and lab analysis, we studied the seasonal variations, content differences, and interrelationships of total organic carbon （TOC）, light fraction organic carbon （LFOC）, and particulate organic carbon （POC） of the soil in the forest areas burned with different fire intensities in the Daxing＇anling Mountains. The mean TOC content in the low-intensity burned area was greater than that in the unburned area, moderate-intensity, and high-intensity burned areas in June and November （P 〈 0.05）. LFOC and POC in the low-intensity burned area were greater than that in either moderate-intensity or high-intensity burned areas, with significant differences in LFOC in September and November （P 〈 0.05）. A significant difference in LFOC between the unburned and burned areas was only found in July （P 〈 0.05）. However, the differences in POC between the unburned and burned areas were not significant in all the whole seasons （P 〉 0.05）. Soil LFOC and POC varied significantly with the seasons （P 〈 0.05） in the Daxing＇anling Mountains. Significant linear relationships were observed between soil TOC, LFOC, and POC, which were positively correlated with soil nitrogen and negatively correlated with soil temperature in the Daxing＇anling Mountains.

Long-Term Effect of No-Tillage on Soil Organic Carbon Fractions in a Continuous Maize Cropping System of Northeast China

Increasing evidence has shown that conservation tillage is an effective agricultural practice to increase carbon (C) sequestration in soils. In order to understand the mechanisms underlying the responses of soil organic carbon (SOC) to tillage regimes, physical fractionation techniques were employed to evaluate the effect of long-term no-tillage (NT) on soil aggregation and SOC fractions. Results showed that NT increased the concentration of total SOC by 18.1% compared with conventional tillage (CT) under a long-term maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system in Northeast China. The proportion of soil large macroaggregates (> 2000 μm) was higher in NT than that in CT, while small macroaggregates (250-2000 μm) showed an opposite trend. Therefore, the total proportion of macroaggregates (> 2000 and 250-2000 μm) was not affected by tillage management. However, C concentrations of macroaggregates on a whole soil basis were higher under NT relative to CT, indicating that both the amount of aggregation and aggregate turnover affected C stabilization. Carbon concentrations of intra-aggregate particulate organic matter associated with microaggregates (iPOM m) and microaggregates occluded within macroaggregates (iPOM mM) in NT were 1.6 and 1.8 times greater than those in CT, respectively. Carbon proportions of iPOM m and iPOM mM in the total SOC increased from 5.4% and 6.3% in CT to 7.2% and 9.7% in NT, respectively. Furthermore, the difference in the microaggregate protected C (i.e., iPOM m and iPOM mM) between NT and CT could explain 45.4% of the difference in the whole SOC. The above results indicate that NT stimulates C accumulation within microaggregates which then are further acted upon in the soil to form macroaggregates. The shift of SOC within microaggregates is beneficial for long-term C sequestration in soil. We also corroborate that the microaggregate protected C is useful as a pool for assessing the impact of tillage management on SOC storage.

Soil Organic Carbon Pools in Particle-Size Fractions as Affected by Slope Gradient and Land Use Change in Hilly Regions,Western Iran

This study was conducted to explore the effects of topography and land use changes on particulate organic carbon(POC),particulate total nitrogen(PTN),organic carbon(OC) and total nitrogen(TN) associated with different size primary particle fractions in hilly regions of western Iran.Three popular land uses in the selected site including natural forest(NF),disturbed forest(DF) and cultivated land(CL) and three slope gradients(0-10 %,S1,10-30 %,S2,and 30-50%,S3) were employed as the basis of soil sampling.A total of 99 soil samples were taken from the 0-10 cm surface layer in the whole studied hilly region studied.The results showed that the POC in the forest land use in all slope gradients was considerably more than the deforested and cultivated lands and the highest value was observed at NF-S1 treatment with 9.13%.The values of PTN were significantly higher in the forest land use and in the down slopes(0.5%) than in the deforested and cultivated counterparts and steep slopes(0.09%) except for the CL land use.The C:N ratios in POC fraction were around 17-18 in the forest land and around 23 in the cultivated land.In forest land,the silt-associated OC was highest among the primary particles.The enrichment factor of SOC,EC,was the highest for POC.For the primary particles,EC of both primary fractions of silt and clay showed following trend for selected land uses and slope gradients:CL> DF> NF and S3 > S2> S1.Slope gradient of landscape significantly affected the OC and TN contents associated with the silt and clay particles,whereas higher OC and TN contents were observed in lower positions and the lowest value was measured in the steep slopes.Overall,the results showed that native forest land improves soil organic carbon storage and can reduce the carbon emission and soil erosion especially in the mountainous regions with high rainfall in west of Iran.

The Effects of Estuarine Processes on the Fluxes of Inorganic and Organic Carbon in the Yellow River Estuary

Riverine carbon flux is an important component of the global carbon cycle. The spatial and temporal variations of organic and inorganic carbon were examined during both dry and wet seasons in the Yellow River estuary. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the Yellow River during dry seasons were higher than those during wet seasons. The effective concentrations of DOC (CDOC*) were higher than the observed DOC at zero salinity. This input of DOC in the Yellow River estuary was due to sediment desorption processes in low salinity regions. In contrast to DOC, the effective concen- trations of DIC were 10% lower than the DIC measured at freshwater end, and the loss of DIC was caused by CaCO3 precipitation in low salinity region. Particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) contents of the particles stabilized to constant values (0.5%±0.05% and 1.8%±0.2%, respectively) within the turbidity maximum zone (TMZ) and showed no noticeable seasonal variations. A rapid drop of PIC and rise of POC occurred simultaneously outside the TMZ due to an intense dilution of riverine inorganic-rich particles being transported into a pool of aquatic organic-poor particles outside the TMZ. Annually, the Yellow River transported 6.95×105 t of DIC, 0.64×105 t of DOC, 78.58×105 t of PIC and 2.29×105 t of POC to the sea.

Soil organic carbon pool along different altitudinal level in the Sygera Mountains, Tibetan Plateau

Labile organic carbon(LOC) is one of the most important indicators of soil organic matter quality and dynamics elevation and plays important function in the Tibetan Plateau climate. However, it is unknown what the sources and causes of LOC contamination are. In this study, soil organic carbon(SOC), total nitrogen(TN), microbial biomass carbon(MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen(MBN) and LOC were analyzed based on different soil horizons and elevations using turnover time in an experimental site(3700 m to 4300 m area) in Sygera. SOC and LOC in higher-elevation vegetation types were higher than that of in lower-elevation vegetation types. Our results presented that the soil microbial biomass carbon(SMBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen(SMBN)were positively correlated with SOC. The content of easily oxidized carbon(EOC), particulate organic carbon(POC) and light fraction organic carbon(LFOC) decreased with depth increasing and the content were the lowest in the 60 cm to 100 cm depth.The total SOC, ROC and POC contents decreased with increasing soil horizons. The SOC, TN, MBC and MBN contents increased with increasing altitude in the Sygera Mountains. The MBC and MBN contents weredifferent with the changes of SOC(p<0.05),meanwhile, both LFOC and POC were related to total SOC(p<0.05). The physical and chemical properties of soil, including temperature, humidity, and altitude,were involved in the regulation of SOC, TN, MBC,MBN and LFOC contents in the Sygera Mountains,Tibetan Plateau.

海水颗粒有机碳(POC)变化的生物地球化学机制

海水中颗粒有机碳(POC)的生物地球化学行为是海洋碳循环研究的重要组成部分,近年来的研究取得了重大进展,主要阐述了海水POC生物地球化学研究的概况。海水POC在海洋中的分布受各种物理、化学、生物过程等多种因素的影响。不同海域、不同水层POC的含量与组成差异很大,在水平分布上,近岸高于远海,垂直分布上,表层高于中下层,含量通常为几十到几百个μg/L,主要由陆源碎屑、浮游植物、浮游动物及其新陈代谢产物和死亡残体组成,海水POC可来源于陆源、海源(海洋生物的生产)、海底沉积物的再悬浮以及溶解有机碳(DOC)的转化,其中海源是其主要贡献者。海水POC与生物过程的关系密切,海洋生物既是POC的组成部分也是POC的重要生产者,通过摄食-代谢过程产生碎屑POC,通过垂直洄游促进POC的向下沉降,通过细菌的降解将POC转化为其他形态。POC参与再循环与营养盐(特别是氮、磷、硅)之间有重要的协同作用,生命POC的新陈代谢造成了营养盐浓度的变化,反过来,营养盐浓度的变化又改变了生命POC的组成及数量;无生命的POC一方面在生物及化学作用下分解矿化释放出营养盐,及时补充了水体中氮、磷、硅等生源要素的含量,这在高生产力的珊瑚礁区尤为明显。另一方面,其又通过在沉积物中的矿化,产生吸附位点,吸附营养盐,影响着营养盐在沉积物与水体中的交换。