|
|
| |
- IMIS: Integrated Marine Information System - |
log in |
|
Personen | Instituten | Publicaties | Projecten | Datasets | Kaarten
|
| Abundance, composition, and sinking rates of fish fecal pellets in the Santa Barbara Channel |  |
| Saba, G.K.; Steinberg, D.K. (2012). Abundance, composition, and sinking rates of fish fecal pellets in the Santa Barbara Channel NPG Scientific Reports 2(716): 6 pp. hdl.handle.net/10.1038/srep00716 |
| In: Scientific Reports (Nature Publishing Group). Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 2045-2322, meer |
| Abstract |
Rapidly sinking fecal pellets are an important component of the vertical flux of particulate organic matter (POM) from the surface to the ocean's interior; however, few studies have examined the role fish play in this export. We determined abundance, size, prey composition, particulate organic carbon/nitrogen (POC/PON), and sinking rates of fecal pellets produced by a forage fish, likely the northern anchovy, in the Santa Barbara Channel. Pellet abundance ranged from 0.1–5.9 pellets m-3. POC and PON contents averaged 21.7 µg C pellet-1 and 2.7 µg N pellet-1. The sinking rate averaged 787 m d-1; thus pellets produced at the surface would reach the benthos (~500 m) in <1 day. Estimated downward flux of fish fecal POC reached a maximum of 251 mg C m-2 d-1. This is equal to or exceeds previous measurements of sediment trap POM flux, and thus may transport significant amounts of repackaged surface material to depth. |
|
|
|
