ANNUAL PRIMARY PRODUCTION AND EXPORT FLUX IN THE SOUTHERN-OCEAN FROM SEDIMENT TRAP DATA

Since 1983 time-series traps have been deployed in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean to measure the flux of organic carbon, biogenic silica and carbonate. The organic carbon flux data are used to calculate primary production rates and organic carbon fluxes at 100 m water depth. From these calculations, annual primary production rates range from about 170 g C m-2 in the coastal area (Bransfield Strait) to almost zero in the Permanent Sea-Ice Zone. High rates (of about 80 g C m-2 year-1 ) were calculated for the Polar Front Zone and rather low values (about 20 g C m-2 year-1) characterize the Maud Rise area. The estimated primary production for the entire Southern Ocean (south of 50-degrees-S), using various subsystems with characteristic carbon fluxes, is in the order of 1 X 10(9) tons year-1; the organic carbon flux out of the photic layer is 0.17 X 10(9) tons year-1. Our calculation of the Southern Ocean total annual primary production is substantially lower than previously reported values.