A cargo de Dra. Cindy Lee, State University of New York (Stony Brook-USA)
SEMINARIS DE LA FACULTAT DE GEOLOGIA I L'INSTITUT DE CIÈNCIES DE LA TERRA JAUME ALMERA

Universitat de Barcelona (UB)
Consell Superior d'Investigacions Científiques (CSIC)

Dia: Dimecres 15 de Maig
Hora: 12.00 h
Lloc: sala d'actes de l'Institut Jaume Almera

Resum:
Global warming is just one of the results of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations. CO2 forms an acid when it dissolves in seawater, and is thus acidifying the oceans. Coral reefs and calcareous shells are in danger of depletion. One of the few natural processes that removes carbon dioxide from the ocean's surface waters is the sinking of particles to the deep sea. These particles carry organic carbon with them that is derived from the surface plants and animals in the ocean. We and others have recently shown that the flux of mineral matter (opal, carbonates, and dust) is an excellent predictor of POC flux. We hypothesized that this strong statistical association may be driven by physical protection of organic matter by ballast minerals and/or the need for a minimum fraction of organic matter to maintain particle integrity during sinking. Our field and laboratory observations now suggest that the association of POC and ballast material may be initiated by mineral-enha.