Coccolithophores are among the most important calcifying pelagic organisms. To assess how coccolithophore species with different coccolith-carbonate mass and distinct ecological resilience to ocean warming will influence the “rain ratio” and the “biological carbon pump”, 1 yr of species-specific coccolith-carbonate export fluxes were quantified using sediment traps moored at four sites between NW Africa and the Caribbean (i.e., CB-20°N/21°W, at 1214 m; M1-12°N/23°W, at 1150 m; M2-14°N/37°W, at 1235 m; M4-12°N/49°W, at 1130 m). Highest coccolith-CaCO₃ fluxes at the westernmost site M4, where the nutricline is deepest along the tropical North Atlantic, were dominated by deep-dwelling small-sized coccolith species Florisphaera profunda and Gladiolithus flabellatus. Total coccolith-CaCO₃ fluxes of 371 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ at M4 were followed by 165 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ at the north-easternmost CB, 130 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ at M1, and 114 mg m⁻² yr⁻¹ at M2 in between. Coccoliths accounted for nearly half of the total carbonate flux at M4 (45%), much higher compared to 23% at M2 and 15% at M1 and CB. At site M4, highest ratios of coccolith-CaCO₃ to particulate organic carbon fluxes and weak correlations between the carbonate of deep-dwelling species and particulate organic carbon suggest that increasing productivity in the lower photic zone in response to ocean warming might enhance the rain ratio and reduce the coccolith-ballasting efficiency. The resulting weakened biological carbon pump could, however, be counterbalanced by increasing frequency of Saharan dust outbreaks across the tropical Atlantic, providing mineral ballast as well as nutrients to fuel fast-blooming and ballast-efficient coccolithophore species.

中文翻译：

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非洲西北部和加勒比海地区之间由颗石藻物种产生的碳酸盐通量：对生物碳泵的影响

球石藻是最重要的钙化远洋生物之一。为了评估具有不同颗石-碳酸盐质量和不同生态对海洋变暖的弹性的颗石藻物种如何影响“降雨比”和“生物碳泵”，使用系泊的沉积物捕集器量化了 1 年特定物种的颗石-碳酸盐出口通量在西北非洲和加勒比海之间的四个地点（即 CB-20°N/21°W，在 1214 m；M1-12°N/23°W，在 1150 m；M2-14°N/37°W，在 1235 m；M4-12°N/49°W，在 1130 m）。在最西端的站点 M4 处最高的颗石-CaCO ₃通量，这里的营养线沿热带北大西洋最深，主要是深居小型颗石种Florisphaera profunda和Gladiolithus flabellatus. 总颗石-的CaCO _3个的磁通371毫克米^-2 年^-1在M4再接165毫克米^-2 年^-1在北东端CB，130毫克米^-2 年^-1在M1，和114毫克米^-2  yr ^-1在 M2 之间。颗石块占 M4 总碳酸盐通量的近一半 (45%)，远高于 M2 的 23% 和 M1 和 CB 的 15%。在 M4 站点，最高比例的球石-CaCO ₃对颗粒有机碳通量的影响以及深居物种碳酸盐与颗粒有机碳之间的弱相关性表明，为响应海洋变暖而提高低光区的生产力可能会提高降雨率并降低颗石压载效率。然而，由此产生的减弱的生物碳泵可以通过增加横跨热带大西洋的撒哈拉沙尘暴发频率来抵消，提供矿物压载物和营养物质，为快速开花和压载效率高的颗石藻物种提供燃料。