TY - JOUR
T1 - A suboxic chlorophyll-a maximum persists within the Pacific oxygen minimum zone off Mexico
AU - Márquez-Artavia, Amaru
AU - Sánchez-Velasco, Laura
AU - Barton, Eric D.
AU - Paulmier, Aurelién
AU - Santamarı́a-Del-Ángel, Eduardo
AU - Beier, Emilio
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - The tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ) are known to shelter a chlorophyll-a maximum (CM) within suboxic waters (<20 μmol kg−1), below other chlorophyll-a maxima and with an unknown temporal variability in the Pacific OMZ off Mexico. Here, 1161 chlorophyll-a fluorescence and oxygen profiles collected between 2003 and 2016 were used to describe statistically the physical situation in which the suboxic-CM was found. Results indicate that the suboxic-CM was a persistent feature at seasonal scale at depths between 40 and 190 m at an average density potential anomaly of 26 ± 0.2 kg m−3, related to the Subtropical Subsurface Water, which is nearly unaffected by mixing with other water masses. The suboxic-CM south of 21°N was generally associated with the upper limit of the suboxic waters of the OMZ. In this region, the distance between the suboxic waters and the euphotic zone (1% of surface irradiance) was > - 25 m year-round, which suggests that persistent low-light levels allow development of the suboxic-CM. The persistence of the suboxic-CM is consistent with its association with a stable microbial community. The effects on the ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles remain to be investigated.
AB - The tropical Oxygen Minimum Zones (OMZ) are known to shelter a chlorophyll-a maximum (CM) within suboxic waters (<20 μmol kg−1), below other chlorophyll-a maxima and with an unknown temporal variability in the Pacific OMZ off Mexico. Here, 1161 chlorophyll-a fluorescence and oxygen profiles collected between 2003 and 2016 were used to describe statistically the physical situation in which the suboxic-CM was found. Results indicate that the suboxic-CM was a persistent feature at seasonal scale at depths between 40 and 190 m at an average density potential anomaly of 26 ± 0.2 kg m−3, related to the Subtropical Subsurface Water, which is nearly unaffected by mixing with other water masses. The suboxic-CM south of 21°N was generally associated with the upper limit of the suboxic waters of the OMZ. In this region, the distance between the suboxic waters and the euphotic zone (1% of surface irradiance) was > - 25 m year-round, which suggests that persistent low-light levels allow development of the suboxic-CM. The persistence of the suboxic-CM is consistent with its association with a stable microbial community. The effects on the ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles remain to be investigated.
KW - Chlorophyll maxima
KW - Euphotic zone
KW - Mexican Pacific
KW - Persistence
KW - Suboxia
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075377703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.104686
DO - 10.1016/j.dsr2.2019.104686
M3 - Artículo
SN - 0967-0645
VL - 169-170
JO - Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
JF - Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography
M1 - 104686
ER -