The CUSTARD project will examine how seasonal changes in food availability for phytoplankton at a key junction of the global ocean circulation influences how long carbon is trapped in the ocean rather than escape to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

CUSTARD logo

Website: https://roses.ac.uk/custard

NOC PI: Dr Adrian Martin
Email: adrian.martin at noc.ac.uk

Dates
–
Funding

NERC – Strategic Research

Aim

We will address the following objectives:

  1. To obtain an accurate picture of the seasonal air-sea CO2 flux and macronutrient drawdown
  2. To quantify the link between iron and silicate availability and remineralisation depth
  3. To observationally determine the seasonal cycle in remineralisation depth
  4. To examine the link between seasonality in remineralisation depth and the trajectory of carbon from the surface out of the upper limb.

By delivering these objectives we will address the following hypotheses:

  1. There is a strong seasonal cycle in remineralisation depth driven by seasonal variability in surface silicate:carbon:nitrogen uptake as a function of iron availability
  2. This seasonal cycle in remineralisation depth leads to seasonal variability in the fate of organic carbon leaving the Southern Ocean via the upper limb