Silica Balance on the East China Sea Shelf

The silica balances in the ocean are controlled by many processes, such as terrestrial input, silica dissolution in sediment, and biogenic silica production. In the ECS, the silica balance is related to the river inputs, atmospheric deposition, BSi deposition and dissolution in sediments, export toward the deep sea and the input from Kuroshio water, etc. 

Silicate is required by planktonic organisms to grow (e.g., diatoms), and a significant amount of BSi is remobilized by dissolution of silica cells. Production of BSi was estimated by a combination of factors primary production, the 

The BSi deposition flux below the euphotic zone was 17.9 to 85.5 mmol/(m d), with an average of (42 37.5) mmol/(m -d). The average BSi deposition flux in the upper water column over the whole ECS shelf was estimated to be (9.4 10.1) mmol/(m d). The annual flux of BSi exported toward the deep reservoir (Ee) on the ECS shelf was determined to be (1.8 1.95)xl0 mol/yr. Therefore, the flux of recycled silicate that occurred in the surface layer [ED(surface)] was 1.27x10 mol/yr, accounting for 41% of BSi production (Fig. 4.53, Liu et al., 2005). 

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