Dust deposition drives diatom proliferation at the expense of carbon fixation efficiency in an CO2 elevated ocean
ID:635
Poster Presentation
2027-01-15 16:30 (China Standard Time)
Session:Session 56 - SOLAS-IGAC: Multidisciplinary perspectives on air-sea interactions and their impacts on coastal sustainability
Abstract
Extreme dust deposition and ocean acidification are intensifying under climate change, yet their combined impacts on marine carbon cycling remain poorly constrained. Here, we examined the physiological and biogeochemical responses of the diatom Skeletonema costatum to current and elevated CO2 (1000 ppm) conditions combined with low (2 mg L-1) and high (10 mg L-1) dust additions. Elevated CO2 alone promoted sustained growth by reducing investment in carbon-concentrating mechanisms and enhancing dissolved organic nitrogen utilization. In contrast, high dust addition under elevated CO2 maintained high cell densities but reduced cellular particulate organic carbon and nitrogen quotas by more than 50% relative to the elevated CO2 alone. Consequently, enhanced cell proliferation was no longer accompanied by proportional biomass accumulation, leading to a decline in per-cell carbon uptake efficiency to 34.8% of the elevated CO2 baseline. Transcriptomic analyses revealed that a dust-derived ammonium pulse reconfigured nitrogen acquisition pathways and redirected cellular resources toward rapid proliferation at the expense of lipid biosynthesis and carbon storage. The resulting carbon-depleted diatom biomass may be more prone to upper-ocean remineralization, thereby weakening the biological carbon pump. These findings suggest that extreme dust deposition in future acidified oceans does not necessarily enhance, and may even diminish carbon sequestration.
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Important Dates
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Jan 30
2026
Session / Event proposals open
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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
