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Deep sea circulation of particulate organic carbon in the Japan Sea

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Abstract

Seasonal and spatial variations of particulate organic carbon (POC) flux were observed with sediment traps at three sites in the Japan Sea (western and eastern Japan Basin and Yamato Basin). In order to investigate the transport processes of POC, radiocarbon (14C) measurements were also carried out. Annual mean POC flux at 1 km depth was 30.7 mg m−2day−1 in the western Japan Basin, 12.0 mg m−2day−1 in the eastern Japan Basin and 23.8 mg m−2day−1 in the Yamato Basin. At all stations, notably higher POC flux was observed in spring (March–May), indicating biological production and rapid sinking of POC in this season. Sinking POC in the high flux season showed modern Δ14C values (>0‰) and aged POC (Δ14C < −40‰) was observed in winter (December–January). The Δ14C values in sinking POC were negatively correlated with aluminum concentration, indicating that Δ14C is strongly related to the lateral supply of lithogenic materials. The Δ14C values also showed correlations with excess manganese (Mnxs) concentrations in sinking particles. The Δ14C-Mnxs relationship suggested that (1) the majority of the aged POC was advected by bottom currents and incorporated into sinking particles, and (2) some of the aged POC might be supplied from the sea surface at the trap site as part of terrestrial POC. From the difference in the Δ14C-Mnxs relationships between the Japan Basin and the Yamato Basin, we consider that basin-scale transport processes of POC occur in the Japan Sea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Shirakata-Shirane, Tokai, Ibaraki, 319-1195, Japan

    Shigeyoshi Otosaka, Takayuki Tanaka, Orihiko Togawa & Hikaru Amano

  2. AMS Management Section, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Mutsu, Aomori, 035-0064, Japan

    Shigeyoshi Otosaka, Takayuki Tanaka & Hikaru Amano

  3. Far Eastern Hydrometeorological Research Institute, Fontanaya St., Vladivostok, 690600, Russia

    Eugeny V. Karasev

  4. Marine Productivity Division, National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research Agency, Yokohama, 236-8648, Japan

    Masayuki Minakawa

  5. Laboratory of Marine and Atmospheric Geochemistry, Graduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan

    Shinichiro Noriki

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  1. Shigeyoshi Otosaka
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  2. Takayuki Tanaka
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Correspondence to Shigeyoshi Otosaka.

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Otosaka, S., Tanaka, T., Togawa, O. et al. Deep sea circulation of particulate organic carbon in the Japan Sea. J Oceanogr 64, 911–923 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-008-0075-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-008-0075-4

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