Monitoring of sinking flux of ocean particulate organic carbon using remote sensing methods

The sinking flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) from the surface ocean is a central driver of ocean biogeochemical cycling, which is directly related to the integrated NPP through euphotic layer. Using the global NPP data (estimated by remote sensing model) and other relevant satellite-derived data, the sinking flux of POC was derived following different algorithms. In situ data was used to compare the accuracy of these algorithms and the best algorithm was chosen to derive the global POC flux over period 2003∼2012. Then, the estimated global POC flux data were applied to study the spatial and temporal distribution characteristic of POC flux. The average annual total global POC flux at the bottom of euphotic layer is about 9.7 Gt C for period of 2003∼2012.