Biologically mediated dissolution of calcium carbonate above the chemical lysocline?

We find a diverse but increasing amount of evidence to suggest considerable dissolution of calcium carbonate, perhaps as much as 60–80%, in the upper 500–1000 m of the ocean, well above the chemical lysocline. The same biological processes that promote the rapid settling of carbonate particles (i.e....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Deep-sea research. Part I, Oceanographic research papers Oceanographic research papers, 1999-10, Vol.46 (10), p.1653-1669
Main Authors: Milliman, J.D., Troy, P.J., Balch, W.M., Adams, A.K., Li, Y.-H., Mackenzie, F.T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Marine
Physical and chemical properties of sea water
Physics of the oceans
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We find a diverse but increasing amount of evidence to suggest considerable dissolution of calcium carbonate, perhaps as much as 60–80%, in the upper 500–1000 m of the ocean, well above the chemical lysocline. The same biological processes that promote the rapid settling of carbonate particles (i.e. ingestion, digestion and egestion by zooplankton) as well as biologically mediated processes within flocculates and aggregates may be responsible – directly or indirectly – for much of this dissolution. The significance of shallow-water dissolution of carbonate particles necessitates further research into both its validity and, if true, specific causal mechanisms.
ISSN:0967-0637
1879-0119
DOI:10.1016/S0967-0637(99)00034-5