The Relationship Between Marine Plankton 13C/12C and CO2 Concentration: Proposed Field Studies

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It is hypothesized that a significant inverse relationship exists between the 13C/12C of particulate organic matter (POM) and the ambient concentration of molecular CO2 in surface seawater. This hypothesis will be tested by sampling and isotopically analyzing suspended POM in concert with NOAA- sponsored measurements of pCO2 and TCO2 i) at seasonally sampled stations near Hawaii and Bermuda, and ii) during cruise transects in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The results of this research will have significant implications for the use of such isotopic measurements as a proxy for time-integrated ocean/atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the present ocean. This research will also aid in the reconstruction of past changes in global CO2 concentrations via isotopic variations in the marine sedimentary record. In addition, the concentrations of surface water particulate organic carbon and nitrogen will be determined, and together with the isotopic determinations will complement NOAA- supported investigations of marine carbon biogeochemistry.