TY - DATA ID - sachs2009bocf T1 - Benthic organic carbon flux and oxygen penetration depth in the Southern Ocean AU - Sachs, Oliver AU - Sauter, Eberhard-Jürgen AU - Schlüter, Michael AU - Rutgers van der Loeff, Michiel M AU - Jerosch, Kerstin AU - Holby, Ola PY - 2009 T2 - Supplement to: Sachs, O et al. (2009): Benthic organic carbon flux and oxygen penetration reflect different plankton provinces in the Southern Ocean. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 56(8), 1319-1335, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2009.02.003 PB - PANGAEA DO - 10.1594/PANGAEA.663056 UR - https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.663056 N2 - For the investigation of organic carbon fluxes reaching the seafloor, oxygen microprofiles were measured at 145 sites in different sub-regions of the Southern Ocean. At eleven sites, an in situ oxygen microprofiler was deployed for the measurement of oxygen profiles and the calculation of organic carbon fluxes. At four sites, both in situ and ex situ data were determined for high latitudes. Based on this dataset as well as on previous published data, a relationship was established for the estimation of fluxes derived by ex situ measured O2 profiles. The fluxes of labile organic matter range from 0.5 to 37.1 mgC m**2/day. The high values determined by in situ measurements were observed in the Polar Front region (water depth of more than 4290 m) and are comparable to organic matter fluxes observed for high-productivity, upwelling areas like off West Africa. The oxygen penetration depth, which reflects the long-term organic matter flux to the sediment, was correlated with assemblages of key diatom species. In the Scotia Sea (~3000 m water depth), oxygen penetration depths of less than 15 cm were observed, indicating high benthic organic carbon fluxes. In contrast, the oxic zone extends down to several decimeters in abyssal sediments of the Weddell Sea and the southeastern South Atlantic. The regional pattern of organic carbon fluxes derived from micro-sensor data suggest that episodic and seasonal sedimentation pulses are important for the carbon supply to the seafloor of the deep Southern Ocean. ER -