Temperature controls carbon cycling and biological evolution in the ocean twilight zone

Theory suggests that the ocean's biological carbon pump, the process by which organic matter is produced at the surface and transferred to the deep ocean, is sensitive to temperature because temperature controls photosynthesis and respiration rates. We applied a combined data-modeling approach...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2021-03, Vol.371 (6534), p.1148-1152
Main Authors: Boscolo-Galazzo, Flavia, Crichton, Katherine A, Ridgwell, Andy, Mawbey, Elaine M, Wade, Bridget S, Pearson, Paul N
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological activity
Biological evolution
Carbon
Carbon cycle
Climate
Climate change
Cooling
Cooling rate
Deep water
Environmental changes
Evolution
Global cooling
Nutrients
Oceans
Organic matter
Photosynthesis
Plankton
Reduction
Remineralization
Respiration
Temperature dependence
Water depth
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Theory suggests that the ocean's biological carbon pump, the process by which organic matter is produced at the surface and transferred to the deep ocean, is sensitive to temperature because temperature controls photosynthesis and respiration rates. We applied a combined data-modeling approach to investigate carbon and nutrient recycling rates across the world ocean over the past 15 million years of global cooling. We found that the efficiency of the biological carbon pump increased with ocean cooling as the result of a temperature-dependent reduction in the rate of remineralization (degradation) of sinking organic matter. Increased food delivery at depth prompted the development of new deep-water niches, triggering deep plankton evolution and the expansion of the mesopelagic "twilight zone" ecosystem.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abb6643