Distribution and export of dissolved organic carbon along a loop current eddy in the Gulf of Mexico
4 affiliations
- 1Instituto de Investigaciones Oceanológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico
- 2Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico
- 3Departamento de Oceanografía Física, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, Mexico
- 4Marine Science Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States
Abstract
The ocean plays a major role in regulating the global climate by sequestering carbon, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) represents one of the largest marine carbon reservoirs. Mesoscale eddies can enhance DOC export to the mesopelagic zone through eddy-wind interactions and eddy-induced strain, with this export often increasing during winter convective mixing. This study investigated how these processes affect DOC distribution and vertical fluxes within the anticyclonic Loop Current Eddy Yazoo in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico during the onset of Nortes winds in November 2022. Using high-spatial-resolution sampling along a transect, we mapped the spatial variability of DOC concentrations and hydrographic properties across LCE Yazoo and surrounding waters. We found pronounced horizontal and vertical variability in DOC concentrations and did not observe the hypothesized systematic enrichment within the eddy expected in a nutrient depleted environment. Total dissolved carbohydrates, which are important components of labile and semi-labile DOC fractions, accounted for 7.4% of total DOC in the epipelagic zone, decreasing to ~4% in the mesopelagic zone. Significant correlations were observed between DOC and Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, and heterotrophic bacterial biomass, indicating close spatial coupling between DOC and microbial community structure. Meanwhile, the relationship between DOC and apparent oxygen utilization in the oxycline indicated a greater apparent contribution of DOC remineralization to oxygen consumption within LCE Yazoo (~40%) than in adjacent waters (~29%). Upward and downward fluxes driven by eddy-Ekman pumping redistributed semi-labile DOC within the euphotic zone but did not result in net export. In contrast, upward and downward fluxes forced by eddy-induced strain led to the net subduction of semi-labile DOC, with particularly strong fluxes near the eddy edges. Overall, the findings support the idea that anticyclonic eddies may be important hotspots for semi-labile DOC export, potentially facilitating the microbial carbon pump in oligotrophic oceans.
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BibTeX
@article{quinteromata2026distribution,
title = {{Distribution and export of dissolved organic carbon along a loop current eddy in the Gulf of Mexico}},
author = {Jesús René Quintero-Mata and Jesús René Quintero-Mata and Víctor F. Camacho-Ibar and Jorge A. Velásquez-Aristizábal and Jorge A. Velásquez-Aristizábal and Lorena P. Linacre and Guillermo Samperio-Ramos and Enric Pallàs-Sanz and Ricardo Aaron Gutiérrez and Sharon Z. Herzka and Julio Sheinbaum},
journal = {Frontiers in Marine Science},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmars.2026.1916787},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1916787},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Distribution and export of dissolved organic carbon along a loop current eddy in the Gulf of Mexico
AU - Jesús René Quintero-Mata
AU - Jesús René Quintero-Mata
AU - Víctor F. Camacho-Ibar
AU - Jorge A. Velásquez-Aristizábal
AU - Jorge A. Velásquez-Aristizábal
AU - Lorena P. Linacre
AU - Guillermo Samperio-Ramos
AU - Enric Pallàs-Sanz
AU - Ricardo Aaron Gutiérrez
AU - Sharon Z. Herzka
AU - Julio Sheinbaum
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Marine Science
DO - 10.3389/fmars.2026.1916787
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1916787
AB - The ocean plays a major role in regulating the global climate by sequestering carbon, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) represents one of the largest marine carbon reservoirs. Mesoscale eddies can enhance DOC export to the mesopelagic zone through eddy-wind interactions and eddy-induced strain, with this export often increasing during winter convective mixing. This study investigated how these processes affect DOC distribution and vertical fluxes within the anticyclonic Loop Current Eddy Yazoo in the oligotrophic Gulf of Mexico during the onset of Nortes winds in November 2022. Using high-spatial-resolution sampling along a transect, we mapped the spatial variability of DOC concentrations and hydrographic properties across LCE Yazoo and surrounding waters. We found pronounced horizontal and vertical variability in DOC concentrations and did not observe the hypothesized systematic enrichment within the eddy expected in a nutrient depleted environment. Total dissolved carbohydrates, which are important components of labile and semi-labile DOC fractions, accounted for 7.4% of total DOC in the epipelagic zone, decreasing to ~4% in the mesopelagic zone. Significant correlations were observed between DOC and Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus, picoeukaryotes, and heterotrophic bacterial biomass, indicating close spatial coupling between DOC and microbial community structure. Meanwhile, the relationship between DOC and apparent oxygen utilization in the oxycline indicated a greater apparent contribution of DOC remineralization to oxygen consumption within LCE Yazoo (~40%) than in adjacent waters (~29%). Upward and downward fluxes driven by eddy-Ekman pumping redistributed semi-labile DOC within the euphotic zone but did not result in net export. In contrast, upward and downward fluxes forced by eddy-induced strain led to the net subduction of semi-labile DOC, with particularly strong fluxes near the eddy edges. Overall, the findings support the idea that anticyclonic eddies may be important hotspots for semi-labile DOC export, potentially facilitating the microbial carbon pump in oligotrophic oceans.
SN - 2296-7745
ER -