• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.123-134
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• 2002

Seasonal variations of settling particles and metal fluxes were monitored at a nearshore site of Marian Cove, King Geroge Island, Antarctica from 28th February 1998 to 22nd January 2000. Near-bottom sediment traps were deployed at 30m water depth of the cove, and sampling bottles were recovered every month by SCUBA divers. Total particulate flux and metal concentrations were determined from the samples. Total particulate flux showed a distinct seasonality, high in austral summer and low in austral winter: the highest flux $(21.97g\;m^{-2}d^{-1})$ was found in February of 1999, and the lowest $(2.47g\;m^{-2}d^{-1})$ in September of 1998, when sea surface was frozen completely. Lithogenic particle flux accounted for 90% of the total flux, and showed a significantly negative correlation with the thickness of snow accumulation around the study site. It was suggested that the most of the lithogenic particles trapped in the bottles was transported by melt water stream from the surrounding land. Fluxes of Al, Fe, Ti, Mn, Zn, Cii, Co, Ni, Cr, Cd, and Pb showed similar seasonal variations with the total flux, and their averaged fluxes were 34000, 9000,960, 180, 13.8, 17.6, 3.0,2.1, 5.4, 0.02, and $1.5nmol\;m^{-2}d^{-1}$ respectively. Among the metals, Cu and Cd showed the most noticeable seasonal patterns. The Cd flux correlated positively with the fluxes of biogenic components while the Cu flux correlated with both the lithogenic and biogenic particle fluxes. The Cu flux peak in the late summer is likely related to a substantial amount of inflow of ice melt water laden with Cu-enriched lithogenic particles. On the other hands, the Cd flux peak in the early spring may be associated with the unusually early occurred phytoplankton bloom.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.395-400
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• 2001

A time-series sediment trap was deployed at 1,034 m water depth in the eastern Bransfield Strait from December 25, 1998 to December 24, 1999. About 99 % of total mass fluxes were observed during the austral summer and fall (January, February, and March). The annual total mass flux was $49.2g\;m^{-2}$. Biogenic materials including biogenic silica, organic matter, and carbonate accounted for about 67% of total particle flux, and lithogenic materials contributed about 29%. Biogenic silica was the most dominant (42% of the total flux) in these components. The next most important biogenic component was organic matter, comprising 24% of total mass flux. Calcium carbonate contributed a small fraction of total mass flux, only 0.6%. The annual organic carbon flux was $5.2g\;C\;m^{-2}$ at 1,034m water depth. The annual primary production was estimated to be $21.6g\;C\;m^{-2}$ at the sediment trap site, which seems to be highly underestimated. About 5.5% of the surface water production of organic carbon sinks below 1,034m water depth.

• Journal of the korean society of oceanography
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2003

A time-series sediment trap was deployed at a depth of 1034 m in the eastern Bransfield Strait from December 25, 1998 to December 24, 1999. Particle fluxes showed large seasonal variation; about 99% of the annual total mass flux (49 g m/sup -2/) was collected during the austral summer and fall (January-March). Settling particles consisted primarily of biogenic silica, organic carbon, calcium carbonate, and lithogenic material. Biogenic silica and lithogenic material predominated settling particles, comprising 36% and 30% of the total mass flux, respectively, followed by organic carbon, 11% and calcium carbonate, merely 0.6%. The annual organic carbon flux was 5.4 g C m/sup -2/ at 1000 m in the eastern Bransfield Strait, which is greater than the central Strait flux. The relatively lower flux of organic carbon in the central Bransfield Strait may be caused by a stronger surface current in this region. Organic carbon flux estimates in the eastern Bransfield Strait are the highest in the Southern Ocean, perhaps because of the fast sinking of fecal pellets, which leads to less decomposition of organic material in the water column. Approximately 5.8% of the organic carbon produced on the surface in the eastern Bransfield Strait is exported down to 1000 m; this percentage exceeds the maximum EF/sub 1000/ values observed in the Atlantic and Southern Oceans. The eastern Bransfield Strait appears to be the most important site of organic carbon export to the deep sea in the Southern Ocean.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.153-166
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• 2002

Particle fluxes were measured by using time-series sediment traps in the Bransfield Strait from December 27th, 1999 to December 26th, 2000. Total mass fluxes showed distinct seasonal variations with high fluxes in the austral summer and low fluxes in the austral winter at a 678m water depth in the eastern Bransfield Strait, while they were high only in January and fairly low in other months at a 960m water depth in the central Bransfield Strait. The reason that total mass fluxes occurred only in January at a 960m water depth in the central Bransfield Strait seems to be the strong current in the surface waters, which leads to a substantial amount of terrestrial materials and locally produced organic matter being advected away from the mooring site. Total mass fluxes were very high from January to October at a 1678m water depth in the eastern Bransfield Strait, while they were high only in January and February at a 1860m water depth in the central Bransfield Strait. The fact that total mass fluxes were higher at the deep water in the both sites than at the intermediate water depth may reflect that a substantial amount of terrestrial and organic materials are laterally transported by strong tidal current from the shallow environments to the deep basins.