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.
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Important Dates
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Jan 30
2026
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Apr 30
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Jan 12–15
2027
XMAS 2027
