The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Decaying cyclonic eddies enhance deep carbon transfer while frontal zones attenuate export
ID:587 Poster Presentation

2027-01-15 18:15 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 49 - Biological Carbon Pump: New Insights from Field Observations and Model Constraints

Abstract
Ubiquitous mesoscale eddy-front systems are hotspots of carbon export, yet how their decay phase regulates the biological pump in strongly stratified oceans remains unknown. Utilizing ship-based observations from a decaying cyclonic eddy off southeastern Sri Lanka, we reveal that while both the eddy interior and frontal zones exhibit elevated phytoplankton biomass due to different nutrient supply mechanisms, they drive divergent particulate organic carbon (POC) transfer efficiency: enhanced within the eddy but reduced at the front. Subsurface hydrodynamic processes and particle size distributions shaped contrasting export efficiency. During the decay phase, downwelling, weaker stratification, and larger particles inside the eddy promoted efficient POC transfer to depth. Conversely, frontal upwelling, strong stratification induced by water-mass convergence, and finer particles attenuated export. These findings demonstrate that decaying eddy-front systems exhibit spatially heterogeneous carbon sequestration efficiencies, challenging assumptions of uniform attenuation rates and underscoring the need to resolve life-stage dynamics in biological pump assessments.
Speaker
Xinyang Wang Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

Author
Xinyang Wang Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

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      2027

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