Abstract
Earth System Models generally predict increasing upper ocean
stratification from 21st century planetary warming, which will cause a
decrease in the vertical nutrient flux resulting in declining marine net
primary productivity (NPP) and carbon export fluxes. Recent advances in
quantifying marine ecosystem carbon to nutrient stoichiometry have
identified large latitudinal and biome variability, with low-latitude
oligotrophic systems harboring pico-sized phytoplankton exhibiting large
phosphorus to carbon cellular plasticity. Climate forced changes in
nutrient flux stoichiometry and phytoplankton community composition is
thus likely to alter the ocean’s biogeochemical response and feedback
with the carbon-climate system. We have added three pico-phytoplankton
functional types within the Biogeochemical Elemental Cycling component
of the Community Earth System Model while incorporating variable
cellular phosphorus to carbon stoichiometry for all represented
phytoplankton types. The model simulates Prochlorococcus and
Synechococcus populations that dominate the productivity and sinking
carbon export of the tropical and subtropical ocean, and pico-eukaryote
populations that contribute significantly to productivity and export
within the subtropical to mid-latitude transition zone, contributing a
combined 50 – 70% of these fluxes. Pico-phytoplankton cellular
stoichiometry and resulting sinking export patterns inversely track the
distribution of surface phosphate, with the western subtropical regions
of each basin supporting the most P-poor stoichiometries. Collectively,
pico-phytoplankton contribute ~58% of global NPP and
~46% of global particulate organic carbon export below
100 meters. Subtropical gyre recirculation regions along the poleward
flanks of surface western boundary currents are identified as regional
hotspots of enhanced carbon export exhibiting C-rich/P-poor
stoichiometry, preferentially inhabited by pico-eukaryotes and diatoms.