Preliminary study on particulate organic carbon export fluxes in the Bering Sea

During the Second Chinese National Arctic Expedition (CHINARE) from July to September 2003, depth profiles of dissolved and particulate 234Th in upper water columns were collected at two stations of BR03 and BR24 in the Bering Sea. 234Th was sampled by using a traditional Fe(OH)3 co-precipitation technique, which is a reliable approach to 234Th measurement. We observed 234Th excess at station BR03 below the euphotic zone, which was possibly due to the intensive remineralization of particulate matter. Particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes were estimated from a one-dimensional irreversible steady state model of 234Th fluxes together with measurements of the POC/234Th ratio on the suspended particles. The POC export fluxes from the euphotic zone were 11.66 and 11.69 mmol C m-2 d-1 at BR03 and BR24 stations,respectively. The ratios of POC fluxes to primary production at the two stations were about 0.5 and 0.59, respectively, probably due to the presence of large phytoplankton (in particular diatoms).