What the geological past can tell us about the future of the ocean's twilight zone

Crichton, Katherine A, Wilson, Jamie D ORCID: 0000-0001-7509-4791, Ridgwell, Andy, Boscolo-Galazzo, Flavia, John, Eleanor H, Wade, Bridget S and Pearson, Paul N (2023) What the geological past can tell us about the future of the ocean's twilight zone. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 14 (1). 2376-.

PDF
s41467-023-37781-6.pdf - Open Access published version
Download (2MB) | Preview

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-37781-6

Abstract

Paleontological reconstructions of plankton community structure during warm periods of the Cenozoic (last 66 million years) reveal that deep-dwelling 'twilight zone' (200-1000 m) plankton were less abundant and diverse, and lived much closer to the surface, than in colder, more recent climates. We suggest that this is a consequence of temperature's role in controlling the rate that sinking organic matter is broken down and metabolized by bacteria, a process that occurs faster at warmer temperatures. In a warmer ocean, a smaller fraction of organic matter reaches the ocean interior, affecting food supply and dissolved oxygen availability at depth. Using an Earth system model that has been evaluated against paleo observations, we illustrate how anthropogenic warming may impact future carbon cycling and twilight zone ecology. Our findings suggest that significant changes are already underway, and without strong emissions mitigation, widespread ecological disruption in the twilight zone is likely by 2100, with effects spanning millennia thereafter.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Plankton, Temperature, Seawater, Oceans and Seas, Carbon Cycle
Divisions:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	28 Apr 2023 08:32
Last Modified:	12 Jul 2023 07:21
DOI:	10.1038/s41467-023-37781-6
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3170027