Sediment Trap Recovery
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The time series is located at
10.50 N, 64.66 W, and consists of monthly cruises to collect key measurements
and a
mooring with 4 sediment traps (275, 455, 930, 1235 m; bi-weekly sample
integrations). Infrared satellite data are collected several times per day using antennas
located in St. Petersburg, FL, and in Caracas, Venezuela. In addition to
interpolation of observations at 30-day sampling intervals and inference of
spatial patterns around the site, a numerical model provides estimates of the
unmeasured processes of upwelling, vertical mixing, air-sea exchange, photolysis
of dissolved organic matter, respiration, excretion, cell lysis, grazing, fecal
pellet formation, detrital sinking and decomposition, nitrification, nitrogen
fixation, and ammonification.
The core measurements, defined as those most relevant to understanding the exchange
of CO2 between the atmosphere and upper ocean, as well as
understanding processes which affect the exchange of water, carbon, and
nutrients on the shelf, include: the basic hydrography, winds and ancillary
parameters, the stocks of carbon and nutrients including the carbonate system,
particulate composition, phytoplankton and bacterial biomass, carbon uptake by
phytoplankton and bacteria, and sediment deposition in traps. USF and FLASA
focus on the physical forcing functions, hydrography, and changes in dissolved
inorganic carbon and nutrients, phytoplankton, and primary productivity. Using
an array of sediment traps, we are working closely with FLASA to measure
vertical fluxes and regeneration rates of carbon in the water column, and to
identify the various sources of carbon input to Cariaco. SUNY works closely with
UDO and FLASA to address time variations in the vertical distribution of
bacterial biomass, bacterial productivity, chemosynthesis, and remineralization,
which are key components of this anoxic ecosystem. Combined, the results from
these separate studies provide a robust basis from which to address the
overarching hypotheses.
The University of South Florida maintains an interactive website containing
data and figures. It is located at the following URL:
http://www.imars.usf.edu/CAR/index.html
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