title: An assessment of the use of sediment traps for estimating upper ocean particle fluxes
creator: Buessler, KO
creator: Sarin, M
creator: Steinberg, DK
creator: Trull, TW
creator: Antia, AN
creator: Chen, MJ
creator: Fowler, SW
creator: Gardner, WD
creator: Gustafsson, O
creator: Harada, K
creator: Michaels, AF
creator: Rutgers van der Loeff, M
subject: 260402 Chemical Oceanography
description: This review provides an assessment of sediment trap accuracy issues by gathering data to
address trap hydrodynamics, the problem of zooplankton “swimmers”, and the solubilization of
material after collection. For each topic, the problem is identified, its magnitude and causes
reviewed using selected examples, and an update on methods to correct for the potential bias or
minimize the problem using new technologies is presented. To minimize hydrodynamic biases due
to flow over the trap mouth, the use of neutrally buoyant sediment traps is encouraged. The
influence of swimmers is best minimized using traps that limit zooplankton access to the sample
collection chamber. New data on the impact of different swimmer removal protocols at the US
time-series sites HOT and BATS are compared and shown to be important. Recent data on
solubilization are compiled and assessed suggesting selective losses from sinking particles to the
trap supernatant after collection, which may alter both fluxes and ratios of elements in long term
and typically deeper trap deployments.
publisher: Sears Foundation for Marine Research
date: 2007
type: Article
type: PeerReviewed
format: application/pdf
identifier: http://eprints.utas.edu.au/3984/1/3984.pdf
relation: http://jmr.publisher.ingentaconnect.com/content/jmr/jmr/2007/00000065/00000003/art00002
identifier: Buessler, KO and Sarin, M and Steinberg, DK and Trull, TW and Antia, AN and Chen, MJ and Fowler, SW and Gardner, WD and Gustafsson, O and Harada, K and Michaels, AF and Rutgers van der Loeff, M (2007) An assessment of the use of sediment traps for estimating upper ocean particle fluxes. Journal of Marine Research, 65 (3). pp. 345-416. ISSN 0022-2402
relation: http://eprints.utas.edu.au/3984/