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| Titel |
Formation and global distribution of sea-surface microlayers |
| VerfasserIn |
O. Wurl, E. Wurl, L. Miller, K. Johnson, S. Vagle |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 8, no. 1 ; Nr. 8, no. 1 (2011-01-18), S.121-135 |
| Datensatznummer |
250005349
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-8-121-2011.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Results from a study of surfactants in the sea-surface microlayer (SML) in
different regions of the ocean (subtropical, temperate, polar) suggest that
this interfacial layer between the ocean and atmosphere covers the ocean's
surface to a significant extent. New, experimentally-derived threshold
values at which primary production acts as a significant source of natural
surfactants to the microlayer are coupled with a wind speed threshold at
which the SML is presumed to be disrupted, and the results suggest that
surfactant enrichment in the SML is greater in oligotrophic regions of the
ocean than in more productive waters. Furthermore, surfactant enrichments
persisted at wind speeds of up to 10 m s−1, without any observed
depletion above 5 m s−1. This suggests that the SML is stable enough to
exist even at the global average wind speed of 6.6 m s−1. Using our
observations of the surfactant enrichments at various trophic levels and
wind states, global maps of primary production and wind speed allow us to
extrapolate the ocean's SML coverage . The maps indicate that wide regions
of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans between 30° N and 30° S may be more
significantly covered with SML than north of 30° N and south of 30° S,
where higher productivity (spring/summer blooms) and wind speeds exceeding
12 m s−1 may prevent extensive SML formation. |
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