About this Research Topic
The oceanic particle flux plays a major role in global elemental cycles, the ocean uptake of carbon dioxide, and the transfer of energy and matter to the deep ocean and seafloor. The particle flux and its composition represent a dynamic balance between the upper ocean processes that generate not only large and fast, but also small and slow sinking particles and particle cycling processes within the ocean interior that consume, modify and produce new particles.
Advances in observational platforms, sampling and analytical methods, and modeling capabilities are providing new insights on the ocean’s particle cycle and the roles that mid- and deep-water ecosystems play in the particle flux attenuation and transformation with depth.
The second volume of this multidisciplinary Research Topic will bring together new research articles under themes related to biology, geochemistry, oceanography, and modeling to provide a broad overview of current research on the diverse processes and pathways that drive the downward flux of material and energy through the ocean’s interior.
This Research Topic is envisioned to include:
(1) topical articles on the biological pump, including comparison of downward flux pathways, the influence of ecosystem structure on export and transfer efficiencies, and articles highlighting knowledge gaps in our current understanding of particle flux and cycling processes.
(2) articles focusing on particle chemistry and reactivity and its evolution with depth, and on the roles of macro- and micro-organisms in affecting particle transformations in the interior ocean.
(3) studies evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological stressors that impact the particle flux, under both present and future ocean scenarios.
(4) mini-reviews, including syntheses of particle flux studies at regional, basin and global scales.
Advances in observational platforms, sampling and analytical methods, and modeling capabilities are providing new insights on the ocean’s particle cycle and the roles that mid- and deep-water ecosystems play in the particle flux attenuation and transformation with depth.
The second volume of this multidisciplinary Research Topic will bring together new research articles under themes related to biology, geochemistry, oceanography, and modeling to provide a broad overview of current research on the diverse processes and pathways that drive the downward flux of material and energy through the ocean’s interior.
This Research Topic is envisioned to include:
(1) topical articles on the biological pump, including comparison of downward flux pathways, the influence of ecosystem structure on export and transfer efficiencies, and articles highlighting knowledge gaps in our current understanding of particle flux and cycling processes.
(2) articles focusing on particle chemistry and reactivity and its evolution with depth, and on the roles of macro- and micro-organisms in affecting particle transformations in the interior ocean.
(3) studies evaluating the physical, chemical, and biological stressors that impact the particle flux, under both present and future ocean scenarios.
(4) mini-reviews, including syntheses of particle flux studies at regional, basin and global scales.
Keywords: elemental cycles, oceanic particle flux, deep ocean, biogeochemistry, organic carbon, mineralization
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
