Bioturbation coefficients and organic carbon degradation rates of deep-sea sediments in the central-eastern tropical Pacific

The biogeochemical processes of marine sediments are influenced by bioturbation and organic carbon decomposition,which is crucial for understanding global element cycles and climate change.Two sediment cores were acquired in 2017 from abyssal basins in the central-eastern tropical Pacific to determine the bioturbation and organic carbon degradation processes.The radioactivity concentrations of 210Pb and 226Ra in the sediment cores were measured,indicating the presence of significant excess 210Pb(210Pbex)signals in the sediment cores.Besides,a manganese nodule was discovered in one core,which had a substantial influence on the distribution of 210Pbex.With the exception of this anomalous finding,the bioturbation coefficients in the remaining core were estimated to be 10.6 cm^(2)/a using a steady-state diffusion model,greater than most of the deep-sea sediments from the equatorial eastern Pacific.By using a bio-diffusion model,we further calculated the degradation rates of organic carbon(8.02 ka-1),which is also higher than other areas of the Pacific.Our findings displayed the presence of a biologically active benthic ecosystem in the central-eastern tropical Pacific.

The particle fluxes in sediment traps from Niulang Guyot area in the Northwest Pacific Ocean

The flux of settling particles in the ocean has been widely explored since 1980s due to its important role in biogenic elements cycling,especially in the transport of particulate organic carbon(POC)in the deep sea.However,research in the seamount area of the oligotrophic subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean is lacking.In this work,two sediment traps were deployed at the foot and another two at the hillside of Niulang Guyot from August2017 to July 2018.The magnitude and composition of particle fluxes were measured.The main factors influencing the spatial variations of the fluxes were evaluated.Our results indicated a low particulate flux from Niulang Guyot area in the Northwest Pacific Ocean,reflecting low primary productivity of the oligotrophic ocean.The total mass flux(TMF)decreased from 2.57 g/(m^(2)·a)to 0.56 g/(m^(2)·a)with increasing depth from 600 m to 4850 m.A clear seasonal pattern of TMF was observed,with higher flux in summer than that in winter.The peak flux of 26.52 mg/(m^(2)·d)occurred in August at 600 m,while the lowest value of 0.07 mg/(m^(2)·d)was shown in February at 4850 m.The settling particles at the deep layers had similar biochemical composition,with calcium carbonate(CaCO_(3))accounting for up to 90%,followed by organic matter and opal,characteristics of Carbonate Ocean.The POC flux decreased more rapidly in the twilight layer because of faster decomposition,remineralization,and higher temperature.A small fraction of POC was transported into the deep ocean by biological pump.Particle fluxes were mainly controlled by the calcareous ballasts besides the primary productivity of the surface water.The advection may be another important factor affecting the flux in the seamount area.The combination of settled matters rich in foraminiferal tests with topography and currents may be the reason for regulating the local abundance of benthos on seamounts.Our results will fill in the knowledge gap of sedimentation flux,improve the understanding of ecosystem in Niulang Guyot area,and eventually provide data support for the optimization of regional ecological modeling.