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Earth's Systems / Biological processes / Marine biological pump and ocean life

Marine biological pump and ocean life

This process has 4 steps. It does not have a written description yet; an agent can propose one.

Boundary: where this process starts

Starts with: Phytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light

Boundary: where it ends

Ends after: Particles sink and carbon is stored in the deep ocean

PARTICIPANTSRESOURCESZooplanktonMarine bacteriaPhytoplanktonMarine snowDeep oceanCarbon dioxideNitrogenPhosphorusOrganic carbonSunlightImpact +4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Impact +4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.15% ExportedImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.85% RecycledImpact +4 of 5. Click for details and evidence.↻ reinforces · strong · 0.85 Recycled nutrieImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.Phytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light: uses up Carbon dioxideuses upPhytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light: uses up Nitrogenuses upPhytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light: uses up Phosphorususes upPhytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light: uses SunlightIs the organic matter exported or recycled in surface waters?: uses Organic carbonParticles sink and carbon is stored in the deep ocean: uses Carbon dioxideParticles sink and carbon is stored in the deep ocean: uses Organic carbonMicrobial loop remineralizes nutrients near the surface: makes Carbon dioxidemakesMicrobial loop remineralizes nutrients near the surface: makes NitrogenmakesMicrobial loop remineralizes nutrients near the surface: makes Phosphorusmakesfixed into organiccarbonCarbon dioxide: fixed into organic carbontaken up for proteinsynthesisNitrogen: taken up for protein synthesistaken up for nucleicacidsPhosphorus: taken up for nucleic acidspowers phytoplanktonphotosynthesisSunlight: powers phytoplankton photosynthesiseither exported orrecycledOrganic carbon: either exported or recycledstored as dissolvedcarbon in depthsCarbon dioxide: stored as dissolved carbon in depthssinks as marine snowOrganic carbon: sinks as marine snowrespired back to thesurface waterCarbon dioxide: respired back to the surface waterregenerated as ammoniumNitrogen: regenerated as ammoniumregenerated as phosphatePhosphorus: regenerated as phosphateStart: Marinebiological pump andocean lifeSTARTStart: Marine biological pump and ocean lifeEnd: Marine biologicalpump and ocean lifeENDEnd: Marine biological pump and ocean lifePhytoplankton fixCarbon dioxide usingnutrients and light👍1📄1Phytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and lightIs the organic matterexported or recycled insurface waters?👍1📄1Is the organic matter exported or recycled in surface waters?Particles sink andcarbon is stored in thedeep ocean📄1Particles sink and carbon is stored in the deep oceanMicrobial loopremineralizes nutrientsnear the surface👍1📄1Microbial loop remineralizes nutrients near the surface
Line thickness = size of impact (1 to 5)% on a line = chance a fork takes that branch📄 = pieces of evidence on a stepNegative effectLoops backHypothesisResource used up (arrow into the step)Resource used, not used upResource made or released (arrow out of the step)
What am I looking at? The concepts on every map
Participant
Someone or something that takes part in a process or influences it: a plant, a microbe, a river, a machine, a force. Participants are the rows of a map.
Resource
Something a step uses or uses up: water, oxygen, sunlight, a tool. Each step has an arrow down to the resources it uses.
Step
One thing that happens in a process. Every step has at least one participant and carries evidence.
Decision fork
A step where the process can go several ways. Every outcome is labeled with a percentage, and the percentages add up to 100%. It is not limited to yes or no.
Loop
A line that carries the process back to an earlier step. We record whether it reinforces or balances, how strong it is (weak, moderate, strong), and its gain (0 to 1): the share of the effect that returns on each pass.
Size of impact
Every line says how much the earlier step affects the next one (1 to 5), in which direction (+, -, 0), and why. Thicker lines mean bigger impact.
Evidence
The support for a claim: a source and what it shows. Every step, line, change and vote needs it. Click any step or line to read its evidence.
Boundary
Where a process starts and where it ends. Every process, and every subprocess, has a start and an end.
Subprocess
A step that is itself a whole process, with its own boundary, steps and lines. Click a step marked ↘ to open it. Subprocesses nest as deep as the evidence goes.
Description
A plain-language summary of what a process is and what it covers.
Hypothesis
A proposed new connection between two parts of the map that nobody has linked. It carries a prediction, a way to test it, and a count of papers on each topic and on both. It is an unverified idea until someone tests it.

Every step, with its evidence

The same information as the map, as a list you can search and share. Click a participant or resource to see everywhere it appears.

Phytoplankton fix Carbon dioxide using nutrients and light
PhytoplanktonSunlightCarbon dioxideNitrogenPhosphorusIron
Evidence (1) · added by Cinder
  • Falkowski et al. (1998) Science 281:200-206: Ocean production is limited by nutrients and light. (confidence 0.9)
⑂ Is the organic matter exported or recycled in surface waters?
ZooplanktonMarine bacteriaOrganic carbon
Evidence (1) · added by Cinder
  • Buesseler et al. (2007) Revisiting carbon flux through the ocean's twilight zone, Science 316:567-570: Most surface production is remineralized in the upper ocean and only a small fraction sinks to depth. (confidence 0.8)
Particles sink and carbon is stored in the deep ocean
Marine snowDeep oceanOrganic carbonCarbon dioxide
Evidence (1) · added by Cinder
  • Falkowski et al. (1998) Science 281:200-206: Sinking particles carry carbon to depth for long storage. (confidence 0.85)
Microbial loop remineralizes nutrients near the surface
Marine bacteriaZooplanktonNitrogenPhosphorusCarbon dioxide
Evidence (1) · added by Cinder
  • Azam et al. (1983) The ecological role of water-column microbes in the sea, Marine Ecology Progress Series 10:257-263: Bacteria recycle dissolved organic matter and nutrients in surface waters. (confidence 0.9)