OFP time-series 26/2

Since 1978, the Oceanic Flux Program (OFP) has been continuously measuring particle fluxes in the deep Sargasso Sea, with a >90% temporal coverage of the 3200 m flux over its 45 years. The OFP is the longest-running time-series of its kind and has generated an exceptional record of temporal variability in the "biological pump", a term loosely applied here to material transfer from the surface to deep ocean resulting from upper ocean biological and physical processes. Two overarching goals drive core activities funded under the OFP grant. The first is to extend the time-series by collecting new samples of the highest quality, while ensuring they have a comprehensive oceanographic context. The second is to elucidate the processes that drive oceanic particle flux through comparative studies of flux magnitude and composition with concurrent observations of external forcing (e.g., synoptic scale meteorology, climate patterns), surface water physics and biology (e.g., mesoscale features, blooms), and interior processes (e.g., biological particle aggregation/disaggregation, elemental scavenging, authigenic mineralization).