Spatial redistribution of a globally constant marine biological carbon pump

Spatial redistribution of a globally constant marine biological carbon pump | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Spatial redistribution of a globally constant marine biological carbon pump Louise Delaigue, Raphaëlle Sauzède, Olivier Sulpis, Philip Boyd, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7140275/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Marine dissolved inorganic carbon (DICtotal) is a key component of the global ocean carbon cycle. Over recent decades, DIC has increased due to rising anthropogenic CO2, but the component of DIC change due to the biological carbon pump (BCP), which transfers carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, remains highly uncertain. Using the GOBAI-O2 data product and the CANYON-B and CONTENT algorithms, we reconstructed the 3-dimensional global DICtotal distribution from 2004 to 2022 and decomposed it into DICsoft (organic matter degradation), DICcarb (carbonate dissolution), and DICanth (anthropogenic CO2). We found a significant DICtotal change throughout the water column, with surface concentrations increasing by ~1.0 ± 0.23 μmol kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹, driven by DICanth (>90% contribution). Despite a globally constant signal in DICsoft, substantial regional trends emerged. Changes in circulation, particle sinking, and remineralization altered the vertical and horizontal distributions of DICsoft. In some regions, DICsoft accumulated at shallower depths, shortening residence times; in others, it was transported deeper, enhancing long-term storage. Although these widespread and divergent trends had little net effect on the global DICsoft inventory from 2004-2022, the emerging spatial reorganization of the BCP may signal an evolving instability in the ocean carbon sink under continued climate forcing. Earth and environmental sciences/Ocean sciences/Marine chemistry Earth and environmental sciences/Biogeochemistry/Carbon cycle Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate-change impacts Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files DelaigueBCPNGsuppv3.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7140275","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":489195261,"identity":"41fe9022-7a4f-47b2-8c0a-65ed0406a102","order_by":0,"name":"Louise 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Over recent decades, DIC has increased due to rising anthropogenic CO2, but the component of DIC change due to the biological carbon pump (BCP), which transfers carbon from the surface to the deep ocean, remains highly uncertain. Using the GOBAI-O2 data product and the CANYON-B and CONTENT algorithms, we reconstructed the 3-dimensional global DICtotal distribution from 2004 to 2022 and decomposed it into DICsoft (organic matter degradation), DICcarb (carbonate dissolution), and DICanth (anthropogenic CO2). We found a significant DICtotal change throughout the water column, with surface concentrations increasing by ~1.0 ± 0.23 μmol kg⁻¹ yr⁻¹, driven by DICanth (\u003e90% contribution). Despite a globally constant signal in DICsoft, substantial regional trends emerged. Changes in circulation, particle sinking, and remineralization altered the vertical and horizontal distributions of DICsoft. In some regions, DICsoft accumulated at shallower depths, shortening residence times; in others, it was transported deeper, enhancing long-term storage. 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