The Role of Mesozooplankton in the Biological Pump of the Central Equatorial Pacific Ocean

该项目是美国联合 全球海洋通量研究将在中环进行 1992年的赤道太平洋。 后生动物浮游动物 被确定为最有可能导致颗粒物 转化和随后的有机物输出， 更深的海洋层 因此，了解功能和 评估生物泵的效率，即 向下的碳和氮通量， 生物材料生产和消费的平衡， 需要了解 浮游动物消耗并转化悬浮颗粒。 这 该项目将详细研究后生浮游动物的作用 在赤道太平洋中部的生物泵中。 将使用复杂的技术来评估变异性 中层浮游动物生物量在200 m以上， 和排泄物产生率。 具体规模和社区 浮游植物的消费率将与 浮游植物生产和粪便生产将是 与颗粒有机碳和氮通量有关， 确定光合作用固定的 碳被摄入并可能输出到更深的区域。 该项目将提供必要的关键信息， 量化碳和氮在上层的流动， 赤道太平洋中部

This project constitutes a part of the United States Joint Global Ocean Flux Study to be conducted in the Central Equatorial Pacific in 1992. Metazoan zooplankton have been identified as the most likely agents for particle transformation and subsequent export of organic matter to deeper ocean layers. thus, understanding the functioning and assessing the efficiency of the biological pump, that is the downward fluxes of carbon and nitrogen resulting from the balance of production and consumption of biological material by the pelagic community, requires knowledge of the rates at which zooplankton consume and transform suspended particles. This project will examine in detail the role of metazoa zooplankton in the biological pump of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean. Sophisticated techniques will be used to assess the variability in the upper 200 m of mesozooplankton biomass, grazing rates and fecal matter production rates. Size specific and community based rates of phytoplankton consumption will be compared with phytoplankton production and fecal matter production will be related to particulate organic carbon and nitrogen flux to establish what percentage of the photosynthetically fixed carbon is ingested and potentially exported to deeper zones. this project will provide critical information necessary to quantify the flow of carbon and nitrogen in the upper layers of the central equatorial Pacific.