Organic carbon has an important role in carbon cycling in the ocean.
The partitioning of carbon in the surface layer of the ocean into either dissolved organic carbon, DOC or particulate organic carbon, POC has important implications for the exchange of CO 2 between ocean and atmosphere. Breakdown of DOC by bacteria subsequently makes the CO 2 available again to be exchanged to the atmosphere. The specific processes we will be studying in this project include, the export of carbon from the surface layer as particulate carbon and calcium carbonate, the production and accumulation of organic carbon in the surface layer, and the air-sea exchange of CO 2 . The ultimate objectives of the work are to improve our knowledge about carbon fluxes and partitioning for regional and global ocean modelling studies. References Hansell D. A. and C. A. Carlson and N. R. Bates and A. Poisson.