A particle flux study in the Santa Monica-San Pedro Basin off Los Angeles: particle flux, primary production, and transmissometer survey

Abstract

In May 1983, two short-term (2.5 d) deployments of sediment traps at 100, 300, and 500 m measured the sinking flux of mass (as dry weight), particulate organic carbon and carbonate carbon in the nearshore basins off Los Angeles. The flux of organic carbon at 100 m depth was about 15% of the mass flux and about 5% of the rate of primary production measured in the surface waters. At 500 m the flux of organic carbon had decreased to about half that at 100 m. Characteristics of the trap collections indicated a large biogenic contribution. In the second deployment, much of this appeared to be the fecal material of the pelagic red crab, Pleuroncodes. The biomass carbon of microorganisms determined by microscopy (exclusive of heterotrophic bacteria) in the surface waters was dominated by nano- and picoplankton size categories. In the sediment trap collections, total microorganism carbon comprised <3% of the carbon flux. A six-month (May–November) sediment trap deployment (500 and 824 m) was also made. The higher mass flux to the deeper of these traps indicates near-bottom transport of resuspended sediments. Near-bottom transport of particles may explain the higher mass fluxes (by a factor of two) reported in two 1977 sediment trap studies in the inner basins, and the higher rate of sediment accumulation previously estimated from analysis of sediments. A transmissometer survey indicated that the concentration of suspended particles in the deep waters of the San Pedro Basin was low during the period of the May trap collections.