RECEIVER Theme 2

The role of continental shelves in nutrient cycling and organic matter transformation

Receiver Theme 2 will investigate the exchange of matter between predominantly sandy shelf sediments and the overlying productive shelf waters to quantify transformation and lateral translocation rates of organic matter and nutrients, and to assess their impacts on global biogeochemical cycles. We will fill significant knowledge gaps related to the retention, transformation, and re-suspension of organic matter and nutrients in permeable shelf sediments, and elucidate how these processes influence the quantity and type of organic matter that is transported laterally toward the open ocean and subsequently sequestered.