Impact of deployment duration of surface-tethered sediment traps on downward flux rates of chlorophyll a and particulate organic carbon
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22433732 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ingrid Wiedmann (0000-0002-9274-3084, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Emma Persson (UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Camilla Svensen (0000-0001-9577-3935, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Rolf Gradinger (0000-0001-6035-3957, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Marit Reigstad (0000-0002-8592-7192, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Angelika H H Renner (0000-0002-9997-6366, The FRAM Centre) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Elementa Science of the Anthropocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2325-1026 • E-ISSN: 2325-1026 |
| Publisher | University of California Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1525/elementa.2025.00103 |
| OpenAlex | W7169527121 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
Field measurements of daily downward fluxes are crucial for understanding marine ecosystem dynamics and for providing input and reference data for regional and global carbon flux models. Short-term surface-tethered sediment traps are often used to quantify the downward flux in the upper water column, but different deployment durations have been used (2–360 h). In this study, conducted at five locations in the European (sub-)Arctic, we investigated whether the downward flux quantified by this type of sediment trap is comparable after longer (20–24 h) and shorter (2–7 h) deployments. Our data suggest that the daily downward flux of chlorophyll a and particulate organic carbon determined by shorter deployments was, on average, four times higher than the flux estimated by longer deployments. Neither differences in treatment of the cylinder (pre-filled with filtered seawater or left empty), daily or diurnal variations of the downward flux, nor microbial or zooplankton grazing explained the observed differences in downward flux between the shorter and longer deployments. We therefore speculate that the difference may be caused by a methodological dissimilarity which, through error propagation and magnification, has a relatively stronger effect on shorter deployments. Until the underlying reason is identified as to why downward flux measurements are sensitive to deployment duration, we recommend considering the deployment duration when comparing different downward flux studies and/or using flux data in models. We also recommend using a duration of approximately 24 h for surface-tethered sediment trap deployments to determine daily downward fluxes as the most adequate for establishing a daily flux. If not possible logistically, we suggest using a similar duration for all deployments within one study to ensure comparability.
Carbon flux · Chlorophyll a · Ecosystem · Flux (metallurgy) · Particulate organic carbon · Particulates · Sediment · Sediment trap · Total organic carbon · Marine and coastal ecosystems · Marine and coastal plant biology · Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
A review of coastal palaeoclimate and relative sea-level reconstructions using δ13C and C/N ratios in organic material
Upward nitrate flux and downward particulate organic carbon flux under contrasting situations of stratification and turbulent mixing in an Arctic shelf sea
Pelagic ecosystem dynamics between late autumn and the post spring bloom in a sub-Arctic fjord
| Highly cited | No |
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