Isopycnal Pathway for Small-Particle Export in a Decaying Cyclonic Eddy Revealed by a BGC-Argo Float
ID:1018
Poster Presentation
2027-01-15 17:15 (China Standard Time)
Session: Session 39 - Leveraging BGC-Argo Observations to Advance Marine Biogeochemical Cycles and Ecosystem Dynamics
Abstract
Mesoscale eddies influence carbon export through production, subduction, mixing, and particle redistribution. In this study, a BGC-Argo float observed a deep particle layer during the rapid decay of a cyclonic eddy in the Northwest Pacific. The layer occurred below the subsurface chlorophyll maximum and the main pycnocline, remained confined to a narrow density range near 26 kg m-3, and often exhibited a particulate backscattering signal comparable to or stronger than that associated with the overlying subsurface biomass maximum. It lacked a spiciness anomaly and showed optical signatures of small, pigment-depleted particles. An idealized model suggests that the slow sinking of particles into the deeper eddy periphery likely results from outward radial ageostrophic transport along sloping isopycnals during eddy relaxation. Together, the observations and model identify an efficient isopycnal pathway for exporting small particles into the twilight zone.
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Important Dates
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Jan 30
2026
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Mar 31
2026
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Apr 30
2026
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2026
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Jun 30
2026
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Aug 31
2026
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Sep 15
2026
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Oct 15
2026
Early bird registration closes
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Jan 12–15
2027
XMAS 2027
