Intense autumnal coastal biogenic particle settling fluxes align with phytoplankton phenology changes off the western Antarctic Peninsula

Abstract

Abstract Autumnal settling particle fluxes were studied in the Antarctic coastal zone. The study revealed that the particulate organic carbon (POC) flux exported from the euphotic zone towards the seabed equals the magnitude of the summer pulse when typically, > 95% of the Antarctic annual flux develops. The pelagic POC flux was accompanied with centric and pennate diatoms and euphausiid faecal pellets, which together comprised most of the biogenic particles (and biogenic silica) collected in the sediment trap used in the Gerlache Strait. Our results strongly suggest that the most important drivers of the unusual seasonal extension observed for the settling particle export were increasing glacier melting and an extended productive period. The present study may provide a baseline for Antarctic coastal biogenic particle flux studies and shows that ongoing environmental warming makes the autumnal biogenic settling particle production near shore more intense than typically observed off shore.