A multi-institutional initiative was created in a context of potential oil exploration at the Old Harry site to monitor the marine ecosystem and manage resources of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL). As part of this initiative, two sediment traps were deployed at depths of 34 m and 100 m at a site northwest of Cabot Strait in the Laurentian Channel to measure downward carbon fluxes from October 2014 to October 2015. Fluxes of particulate organic carbon (POC), biogenic silica (BSi), chloropigments, protists and zooplankton fecal pellets were used to evaluate vertical and temporal changes in the magnitude and composition of biogenic carbon fluxes and to provide baseline information prior to any exploration activities in the region. Peaks in POC, BSi, chloropigment and diatom fluxes at both depths at the end of April 2015 indicated the rapid export of a locally-produced bloom mainly composed of pennate diatoms. A coincident peak in fecal pellet carbon fluxes at 100 m indicated a match between the spring ascent of copepods and the diatom bloom. The distinct composition of protist fluxes at 34 and 100 m following the formation of the winter mixed layer highlighted the influence of the pycnocline as a physical barrier for the export of particles in the region. Among identifiable components, dinoflagellates and fecal pellets, followed by diatoms and foraminifera, contributed most to the annual POC flux at 100 m, indicating a balance between lateral advection of slow-sinking protists and rapid export of fast-sinking diatoms and fecal pellets in the supply of POC toward the seafloor in the GSL. These measurements of biogenic carbon export provide insight into the fate of large and small particles in the Cabot Strait region to consider in the potential development of oil and gas activities.

在Old Harry站点进行潜在石油勘探的背景下，创建了一个多机构计划，以监视海洋生态系统并管理圣劳伦斯湾（GSL）的资源。作为该计划的一部分，2014年10月至2015年10月，在Laurentian海峡的Cabot海峡西北部的一个站点处，分别在34 m和100 m的深度处部署了两个沉积物捕集器，以测量向下的碳通量。颗粒有机碳（POC）的通量，生物硅（BSi），绿颜料，原生生物和浮游动物粪便颗粒用于评估生物碳通量的大小和组成的垂直和时间变化，并在该地区进行任何勘探活动之前提供基线信息。POC，BSi，到2015年4月，这两个深度的氯颜料和硅藻通量都表明，主要由戊二烯硅藻组成的本地生产水华迅速出口。粪便颗粒碳通量在100 m处有一个一致的峰，表明co足类的春季上升与硅藻绽放之间是匹配的。冬季混合层形成后34和100 m处质子通量的独特组成突显出比考克林作为该区域颗粒出口的物理屏障的影响。在可识别的成分中，鞭毛藻和粪便颗粒，其次是硅藻和有孔虫，对100 m的年度POC通量贡献最大，表明缓慢下垂的原生生物的横向对流与快速下沉的硅藻和粪便颗粒的快速出口之间的平衡。向GSL中的海底供应POC。