The Global Turbidity Current Pump and Its Implications for Organic Carbon Cycling

Talling, Peter J.; Hage, Sophie; Baker, Megan L.; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Hilton, Robert G.; Maier, Katherine L.

Abstract

Submarine turbidity currents form the largest sediment accumulations on Earth, raising the question of their role in global carbon cycles. It was previously inferred that terrestrial organic carbon was primarily incinerated on shelves and that most turbidity current systems are presently inactive. Turbidity currents were thus not considered in global carbon cycles, and the burial efficiency of global terrestrial organic carbon was considered low to moderate (∼10–44%). However, recent work has shown that burial of terrestrial organic carbon by turbidity currents is highly efficient (>60–100%) in a range of settings and that flows occur more frequently than once thought, although they were far more active at sea-level lowstands. This leads to revised global estimates for mass flux (∼62–90 Mt C/year) and burial efficiency (∼31–45%) of terrestrial organic carbon in marine sediments. Greatly increased burial fluxes during sea-level lowstands are also likely underestimated; thus, organic carbon cycling by turbidity currents could play a role in long-term changes in atmospheric CO2 and climate.

Citation

Talling, P. J., Hage, S., Baker, M. L., Bianchi, T. S., Hilton, R. G., & Maier, K. L. (2024). The Global Turbidity Current Pump and Its Implications for Organic Carbon Cycling. Annual Review of Marine Science, 16(1), https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-032223-103626

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jul 24, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-01
• Deposit Date: Aug 7, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 25, 2024
• Journal: Annual Review of Marine Science
• Print ISSN: 1941-1405
• Electronic ISSN: 1941-0611
• Publisher: Annual Reviews
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-032223-103626
• Keywords: Oceanography
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1712969