Comparison of sinking and sedimentation rate measurements in a diatom winter/ spring bloom.

Riebesell, Ulf (1989) Comparison of sinking and sedimentation rate measurements in a diatom winter/ spring bloom. Open Access Marine Ecology Progress Series, 54 . pp. 109-119.

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Abstract

Sinking and sedimentation rates of a natural phytoplankton community were simultaneously measured during the course of a diatom winterkpring bloom in a 13m3 experimental mesocosm.
Sinking rate was determined directly in settling columns and was calculated from sediment trap
catches. The 2 methods yielded significantly different results. Whole-community as well as speciesspecific sinking rates varied over time. These variations were related to changes of the environmental conditions. Over a 26d study period, a total of 7.5g cm-' was collected in the sediment traps. Viable phytoplankton cells were the primary component of the sedimented matter while zooplankton fecal pellets contributed on average less than 10 %. Assuming the Redfield atomic ratio for the collected
material, the amount of carbon which sedimented during the winterkpring bloom could be predicted
from pre-bloom nutrient concentrations. The daily sedimentation rate varied considerably over time and displayed a characterisbc pattern. This pattern is evidently a function of both suspended phytoplankton biomass and the temporal variation in whole-community sinking rate.

Document Type: Article
Refereed: Yes
Open Access Journal?: No
Publisher: Inter Research
Date Deposited: 18 Feb 2008 17:27
Last Modified: 04 May 2018 12:01
URI: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/215

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