Researchers used CTD and Niskin bottle rosettes to collect dissolved organic carbon samples aboard the R/V Pelican. In the distance is a nearby drilling ship on the Gulf of Mexico. Photo credit: Brad Rosenheim

Study Characterizes Dissolved Organic Carbon Cycling in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Researchers analyzed dissolved organic carbon from water column samples collected in five regions to establish baseline data about its relative persistence and cycling in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The team found that the Mississippi River exports large amounts of dissolved organic carbon with an anthropogenic 14C signature, which is removed and recycled offshore as the river plume moves offshore.