TITLE:   Palmer LTER:  The Southern Ocean carbon pump
AUTHORS: David M. Karl, Christopher J.  Carrillo, Terrence  Houlihan, 
	 Raymond C. Smith and Sharon E. Stammerjohn
DATE:    2-4 August 2000
PLACE:   LTER All Scientists Meeting 2000, Long-Term Ecological Research:
	 Unifying Principles & Global Applications, Snowbird, Utah
         
         University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI. 96822 
	 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
	 Poster - Session: Aquatic Stuides/Hydrology/Geomorphology (F06)

ABSTRACT
The role of the ocean as a reservoir in the global carbon cycle is dependent
upon the ability of the oceans to sequester carbon as particulate matter
exported from the euphotic zone.  Cross-ecosystem studies of the carbon pump
are beginning to provide a predictive capability but Southern Ocean ecosystems
are undersampled relative to more accessible marine habitats.  Since 1992,
Pal-LTER scientists have obtained year round collections of carbon export
using an autonomous sediment trap mooring.  Significant results include:
(1) daily export in the LTER region varies by four orders of magnitude;
summertime export fluxes are the highest ever measured for non-polluted marine
waters (13 mmol C/m2/d) and wintertime export fluxes are the lowest ever
measured (<0.001 mmol C/m2/d), (2) annual export varies 2-3 fold between years
with highest values following ice-extensive winters and (3) the C:N:P
stoichiometry of the exported material is seasonally phased with elevated C:N
and C:P ratios in spring and summer.  The primary export mechanism appears to
be physical and controlled by ice dynamics.