Particle dynamics in the deep water column of Sagami Bay, Japan. I: origins of apparent flux of sinking particles

Temporal variations of sinking particle flux, together with their organic chemical properties, were monitored in the deep basin of Sagami Bay, Japan, using sediment traps with very high time resolutions from March 1997 to August 1998. At a height of 350 m above the bottom (about 1200 m water depth), the averaged total mass flux was more than 1000 mg/m²/day, which is about 10 times higher than those obtained for open ocean regions near Sagami Bay. While large amounts of phytodetritus, derived from phytoplankton blooms in the surface water, were transported downward in spring, the following extraordinary patterns in the temporal variability of sinking particle flux were also observed: (1) A sustained large flux of sinking particles during low productive periods from summer to winter in 1997. (2) An episodic increase of sinking particle flux in June 1998. (3) A difference in the temporal variability of sinking particles between the spring bloom periods of 1997 and 1998. The content of total organic carbon (TOC) and the stable carbon isotopic ratio (δ¹³C) of TOC demonstrated that the large fluxes observed in (1) and (2) could be attributed to the resuspension of phytodetritus deposited on the sea floor during the spring bloom period, and the abrupt erosion of surface sediment on the continental slope, respectively. The concentration of suspended particles in the deep water column affect the apparent flux of sinking particles. At the same time, sinking particles exported from surface waters during the spring bloom both decrease and increase suspended particle concentration through scavenging and rebound processes, respectively. Finally, the apparent difference in sinking particle flux between 1997 and 1998, (3), could be explained by differences in the extent of the scavenging process, which depend on the flux and quality of exported particles from the surface waters.