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  Information - BG6.05 Influencing organic matter flux to the deep: Ecosystem processes, ballast minerals and microbial activities (co-listed in OS)

Event Information
Over geologic time, roughly 20% of the carbon removed from the ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system by burial in marine sediments exits in the form of organic carbon. In addition, changes in the amount of organic carbon delivered to the deep ocean or buried in the sediments may have profound impacts on climate, for example, on glacial-interglacial time scales. And enhancing this "biological pumping" of carbon to the abyss has been proposed as a possible means of mitigating the anthropogenic accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. For all of these reasons, it is critical for us to understand all aspects of the biological pump, from the primary production of organic matter in the surface ocean to its burial and preservation in the sediment.

Often when the "efficiency" of the biological pump is considered with an eye towards increasing its ability to transport carbon into the deep sea and sediments, the focus is on the means by which primary production can be increased. However, as only a tiny fraction of the organic matter produced in the surface ocean survives to be buried at depth, an alternative approach is to ask what processes influence the transport of that carbon to the sea floor and what factors control the preservation of that organic matter within the sediments.

This session aims to explore both direct and indirect interactions of various biological, physical and chemical, and geological factors and their ultimate impact on the export of organic carbon from the ocean-atmosphere-biosphere system. In particular this session is interested in the relationships that exist between carbon, minerals, and microbes and the impact they have.

Preliminary List of Solicited Speakers
Sarah Goldthwait, University of California Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Robert Armstrong, Stony Brook University,NY, USA
Christian Tamburini, Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Fr

Co-Sponsorship

General Statement
The information contained hereafter has been compiled and uploaded by the Session Organizers via the "Organizer Session Form". The Session Organizers have therefore the sole responsibility that this information is true and accurate at the date of publication, and the conference organizer cannot accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made, and he makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with regard to the material published.



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