Understanding the nature of organic matter flux in the ocean remains a major goal of oceanography because it impacts some of the most important processes in the ocean. Sinking particles are important for carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere and its movement to the deep ocean. They also feed life below the ocean's productive surface and sustain life in the deep sea, in addition to depositing organic matter on the seafloor. However, the magnitude of all of these processes is dependent on the transformation of sinking particles during their journey through the water column. This review focuses on the movement of organic matter from the surface ocean to the deep sea via the biological carbon pump and examines the processes that prevent this downward movement—namely, attenuation via microbial colonization and zooplankton feeding. It also discusses how the depth-specific interactions among microbes, zooplankton, and aggregates determine carbon export as well as nutrient recycling, which in turn impact ocean production and Earth's climate.

中文翻译：

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海洋中的碳输出：生物学家的视角

了解海洋中有机物通量的性质仍然是海洋学的一个主要目标，因为它影响海洋中一些最重要的过程。下沉的颗粒对于从大气中去除二氧化碳并将其移动到深海非常重要。除了在海底沉积有机物外，它们还为海洋生产表面以下的生物提供食物并维持深海中的生命。然而，所有这些过程的强度取决于下沉颗粒在穿过水柱过程中的转变。本综述重点关注有机物通过生物碳泵从表层海洋向深海的移动，并研究了防止这种向下移动的过程，即通过微生物定植和浮游动物摄食造成的衰减。它还讨论了微生物、浮游动物和聚集体之间特定深度的相互作用如何决定碳输出和养分循环，进而影响海洋生产和地球气候。