Knowra Carbonate compensation depth Carbonate compensation depth The carbonate compensation depth is the ocean depth below which calcium carbonate dissolves faster than it accumulates, leaving little or no carbonate sediment on the seafloor.
Calcium carbonate : A chemical compound, CaCO₃, that forms major minerals and the shells or skeletons of many marine organisms. Its dissolution and burial determine where seafloor carbonate can persist.
Biological pump : The movement of carbon from surface waters to the ocean interior through sinking organic matter and mineral particles. It carries shell material downward toward sediments where compensation occurs.
Deep-sea sediment : Material that accumulates on the ocean floor, including mineral particles, biological remains, and chemical precipitates. Its carbonate content changes sharply across the compensation depth.
Aragonite compensation depth : The depth below which aragonite dissolves faster than it accumulates on the seafloor. Aragonite is more soluble than calcite, so its compensation depth is generally shallower.
Carbonate dissolution : The chemical breakdown of carbonate minerals into dissolved ions in water. Below the depth, dissolution outpaces the delivery of carbonate particles.
Marine snow : Sinking aggregates of organic matter, mineral particles, and organisms in the ocean. It transports carbonate particles from surface waters toward the seafloor.
Paleoceanography : The reconstruction of past ocean conditions using geological, chemical, and biological evidence. Ancient carbonate distributions help reveal past changes in deep-ocean chemistry.
Calcite lysocline : A depth zone where calcite dissolution increases substantially in the ocean. It marks intensified dissolution, not the deeper point where dissolution balances supply.
Carbonate ion : The negatively charged CO₃²⁻ ion, a dissolved form of inorganic carbon in water. Its scarcity in deep water favors calcium carbonate dissolution.
Coccolithophore : A microscopic marine alga that produces calcite plates called coccoliths. Coccoliths are a major source of calcite settling into deep-sea sediments.
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