Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones

Abstract The deep oceans are environments of complex carbon dynamics that have the potential to significantly impact the global carbon cycle. However, the role of hadal zones, particularly hadal trenches (water depth > 6 km), in the oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycle is not thoroughly i...

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Main Authors: Mengfan Chu, Rui Bao, Michael Strasser, Ken Ikehara, Yang Ding, Kejian Liu, Mingzhi Liu, Li Xu, Yonghong Wang, Piero Bellanova, Troy Rasbury, Martin Kölling, Natascha Riedinger, Min Luo, Christian März, Kana Jitsuno, Zhirong Cai, Cecilia McHugh, Ellen Druffel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55883-1
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author Mengfan Chu
Rui Bao
Michael Strasser
Ken Ikehara
Yang Ding
Kejian Liu
Mingzhi Liu
Li Xu
Yonghong Wang
Piero Bellanova
Troy Rasbury
Martin Kölling
Natascha Riedinger
Min Luo
Christian März
Kana Jitsuno
Zhirong Cai
Cecilia McHugh
Ellen Druffel
author_facet Mengfan Chu
Rui Bao
Michael Strasser
Ken Ikehara
Yang Ding
Kejian Liu
Mingzhi Liu
Li Xu
Yonghong Wang
Piero Bellanova
Troy Rasbury
Martin Kölling
Natascha Riedinger
Min Luo
Christian März
Kana Jitsuno
Zhirong Cai
Cecilia McHugh
Ellen Druffel
author_sort Mengfan Chu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The deep oceans are environments of complex carbon dynamics that have the potential to significantly impact the global carbon cycle. However, the role of hadal zones, particularly hadal trenches (water depth > 6 km), in the oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycle is not thoroughly investigated. Here we report distinct DOC signatures in the Japan Trench bottom water. We find that up to 34% ± 7% of the DOC in the trench bottom is removed during the northeastward transport of dissolved carbon along the trench axis. This DOC removal increases the overall DOC recalcitrance of the deep Pacific DOC pool, and is potentially enhanced by the earthquake-triggered physical and biogeochemical processes in the hadal trenches. Radiocarbon analysis on representative oceanic transects further reveals that the Pacific deep-water DOC undergoes distinct removal compared to those in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans along the thermohaline transport. Our findings highlight hadal trenches as previously unrecognized DOC sinks in the deep ocean system, with varying dynamics that warrant further investigation.
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spelling doaj-art-a3351e24a0ba48a6b7f67fe4947b43032025-01-19T12:30:18ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-01-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-55883-1Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zonesMengfan Chu0Rui Bao1Michael Strasser2Ken Ikehara3Yang Ding4Kejian Liu5Mingzhi Liu6Li Xu7Yonghong Wang8Piero Bellanova9Troy Rasbury10Martin Kölling11Natascha Riedinger12Min Luo13Christian März14Kana Jitsuno15Zhirong Cai16Cecilia McHugh17Ellen Druffel18Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of ChinaFrontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of ChinaUniversity of Innsbruck, Institute of GeologyNational Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Geological Survey of Japan, Institute of Geology and GeoinformationFrontier Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System (FDOMES) and Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of ChinaFrontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of ChinaFrontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of ChinaNOSAMS Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionDepartment of Marine Geosciences, Ocean University of ChinaRWTH Aachen University, Institute of Neotectonics and Natural Hazards & Institute of Geology and Geochemistry of Petroleum and CoalDepartment of Geosciences, Stony Brook UniversityMARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Science, University of BremenBoone Pickens School of Geology, Oklahoma State UniversityShanghai Engineering Research Center of Hadal Science and Technology, College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean UniversitySchool of Earth and Environment, University of LeedsDepartment of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Waseda UniversityDepartment of Geology and Mineralogy, Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto UniversityQueens College, City University of New York, School of Earth and Environmental SciencesDepartment of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaAbstract The deep oceans are environments of complex carbon dynamics that have the potential to significantly impact the global carbon cycle. However, the role of hadal zones, particularly hadal trenches (water depth > 6 km), in the oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycle is not thoroughly investigated. Here we report distinct DOC signatures in the Japan Trench bottom water. We find that up to 34% ± 7% of the DOC in the trench bottom is removed during the northeastward transport of dissolved carbon along the trench axis. This DOC removal increases the overall DOC recalcitrance of the deep Pacific DOC pool, and is potentially enhanced by the earthquake-triggered physical and biogeochemical processes in the hadal trenches. Radiocarbon analysis on representative oceanic transects further reveals that the Pacific deep-water DOC undergoes distinct removal compared to those in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans along the thermohaline transport. Our findings highlight hadal trenches as previously unrecognized DOC sinks in the deep ocean system, with varying dynamics that warrant further investigation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55883-1
spellingShingle Mengfan Chu
Rui Bao
Michael Strasser
Ken Ikehara
Yang Ding
Kejian Liu
Mingzhi Liu
Li Xu
Yonghong Wang
Piero Bellanova
Troy Rasbury
Martin Kölling
Natascha Riedinger
Min Luo
Christian März
Kana Jitsuno
Zhirong Cai
Cecilia McHugh
Ellen Druffel
Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
Nature Communications
title Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
title_full Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
title_fullStr Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
title_full_unstemmed Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
title_short Removal of dissolved organic carbon in the West Pacific hadal zones
title_sort removal of dissolved organic carbon in the west pacific hadal zones
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-55883-1
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