| Title | Dinoflagellate cyst production in the Cariaco Basin, a 12.5 year-long sediment trap study |
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| Author | Bringué, M ;
Pospelova, V; Tappa, E J; Thunell, R C |
| Source | Geological Society of America, Abstracts With Programs vol. 51, no. 5, 340311, 2019 p. 1, https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2019AM-340311 |
| Image |  |
| Year | 2019 |
| Alt Series | Natural Resources Canada, Contribution Series 20190122 |
| Publisher | Geological Society of America |
| Meeting | Geological Society of America Annual Meeting 2019; Phoenix, AZ; US; September 22-25, 2019 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | on-line; digital |
| File format | html; pdf |
| Area | Caribbean Sea; Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) |
| Lat/Long WENS | -66.2500 -64.0000 11.2500 10.0000 |
| Subjects | marine geology; surficial geology/geomorphology; sedimentology; geochemistry; Nature and Environment; Science and Technology; marine organisms; taxonomy; marine sediments; sedimentation; oceanography;
water circulation patterns; sea water geochemistry; silica; calcium carbonate; organic carbon; marine environments; Cariaco Basin; Dinoflagellates; phytoplankton; microzooplankton; 1997-98 El Niño; Microbiology |
| Program | GEM2: Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals Western Arctic Sverdrup Basin |
| Released | 2019 09 01 |
| Abstract | Seasonal and interannual variability in dinoflagellate cyst production were assessed using a 12.5 year-long sediment trap time series from the Cariaco Basin (southern Caribbean Sea). This study
constitutes the longest such time series published to date, providing robust patterns of variability for individual dinoflagellate cyst taxa as well as for major phytoplanktonic and (micro-)zooplanktonic groups at the site. Cyst production is
interpreted in the context of physico-chemical properties measured in situ at the mooring site (primarily reflecting seasonal upwelling), and considering potential interactions with other major components of the pelagic food web (e.g., diatoms,
ciliates, copepods) using multivariate analyses.
The time series consists of > 300 sediment trap samples, each representing ~ 14 days of sedimentation, collected at the CARIACO station between Nov. 8, 1996 and May 19, 2009. Mass fluxes of
biogenic silica, calcium carbonate and organic carbon reflect dominantly the timing and strength of wind-driven, seasonal upwelling that brings colder, nutrient-rich waters to the surface, fostering primary productivity and the export of biogenous
materials to the depths. On seasonal time scales, dinoflagellate cyst production is closely coupled with upwelling strength, with higher cyst fluxes consistently observed under active upwelling conditions (average of 50.5 × 10000 cysts m-2 day-1)
compared to non-active upwelling intervals (29.0 × 10000 cysts m-2 day-1). Year-to-year variability is characterized by a large increase in cyst production observed over the last ~ 4 years of the time series (2006-2009) and minimum cyst fluxes
recorded in the years 1998 and 1999, following the strong 1997/98 El Niño event.
The detailed response of each dinoflagellate cyst taxon to environmental variability is presented in the form of an atlas, providing photomicrographs and detailing
overall monthly production, contribution to the total trap assemblage as well as cyst production over the 12.5 years of the time series. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
Seasonal and interannual variability in dinoflagellate cyst production were assessed using the longest sediment trap time series published to date, from
the Cariaco Basin (southern Caribbean Sea). The study provides detailed insight into the specific ecology of each species, including many species found in Canadian waters and others that lived under warmer conditions in the past (e.g., during the
Upper Cretaceous in the Canadian Arctic). In turn, this study enables accurate interpretation of fossil dinoflagellate cysts found in sedimentary records worldwide. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 314790 |
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