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A mesocosm experiment coupled with optical measurements to assess the fate and sinking of atmospheric particles in clear oligotrophic waters

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Abstract

It has recently been postulated that lithogenic particles such as Saharan dust strongly influence particulate organic carbon export to the deep ocean by acting as mineral ballast. However, our understanding of the processes involved remains scant. In the present study, optical measurements were performed to monitor variations in the concentration, composition and size distribution of particles in suspension within the water column after simulating a Saharan dust event in very clear Mediterranean waters off Corsica in June 2010. A new methodology set up in large mesocosms proved very successful in this regard. Values obtained simultaneously from three instruments (WetLabs ECO-BB3, WetLabs ac-9, Sequoia Scientific LISST-100) provided evidence that (1) part of the Saharan dust pool has a rapid settling velocity (∼24–86 m day−1), (2) particulate export following a dust event is a nonlinear multi-step process and (3) export is controlled in part by the formation of organic-mineral aggregates. This experimental study provides the first insight of the complex export processes occurring after a dust event involving both physical and biogeochemical forcings in clear oligotrophic waters.

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Acknowledgements

Matthieu Bressac acknowledges a grant provided by the ACRI-ST company and the French National Association for Research and Technology (ANRT). This work was funded by the ANR DUNE project under contract ANR-07-BLAN-0126-01. Francis Louis is thanked for his help in the conception of the ‘optical’ mesocosm and Orens Pasqueron De Fommervault for assistance in the preparation of the campaign. Thibaut Wagener, Christophe Brunet and Karine Desboeufs are greatly acknowledged for their help in field measurements. The authors thank Céline Ridame and Christophe Brunet for providing salinity and chlorophyll data respectively. This field campaign could not have taken place without the logistical support and facilities of the Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, and the diving expertise of David Luquet and Christian Rouvière from the Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche. We warmly thank Alina Ebling who kindly polished the English and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ACRI-ST, BP 234, 06904, Sophia-Antipolis, France

    Matthieu Bressac

  2. CNRS-INSU, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, UMR 7093, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche/Mer, Observatoire Océanologique, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

    Matthieu Bressac, Cécile Guieu, David Doxaran & Grigor Obolensky

  3. Université de Perpignan, CEFREM, CNRS-UPVD, UMR 5110, 52 avenue Paul Alduy, 66860, Perpignan, France

    François Bourrin

  4. Observatoire Océanologique de Villefranche/Mer, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, 06230, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

    Jean-Michel Grisoni

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  1. Matthieu Bressac
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  2. Cécile Guieu
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  3. David Doxaran
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Correspondence to Matthieu Bressac.

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Table 1

Overview of sampling plan. Optical profiling was carried out for ∼54 h between the 25th and 28th of June 2010 inside and outside the mesocosm. * Profile was stopped at 5 m depth because of current flow, ** profile excluded in analysis because of LISST-100 artifact, *** switched over to a ECO-BB3 NIR (measures bbp at 720, 770 and 870 nm; data not shown in this study) (PDF 77 kb)

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Bressac, M., Guieu, C., Doxaran, D. et al. A mesocosm experiment coupled with optical measurements to assess the fate and sinking of atmospheric particles in clear oligotrophic waters. Geo-Mar Lett 32, 153–164 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0269-4

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