Exopolymer Particles in the Sea Surface Microlayer (SML) of the Coastal Pacific Ocean

Exchanges of matter and energy between the ocean and atmosphere occur through the sea surface microlayer (SML). The SML is biogeochemically distinct from the underlying water and overlying atmosphere in terms of physical environment, chemical composition, and biological community. We sampled the Pacific Ocean in coastal waters off the state of Oregon (United States) along a seaward transect out from the mouth of the Columbia River (3 stations) and in deeper waters beyond the shelf break (2 stations) in July 2011. SML samples were collected using the glass plate method and the underlying water was sampled using a peristaltic pump from 1, 5 and 10 m depth. The samples were analyzed for carbohydrates and exopolymer particles. Carbohydrates were significantly enriched in the SML compared with the underlying water. The concentration of polysaccharides was higher than monosaccharides at all depths. We enumerated two classes of exopolymer particles: transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and Coomassie staining particles (CSP). TEP are composed of acid polysaccharides and CSP are formed from proteins. While TEP have been widely studied, CSP are generally overlooked, despite the biogeochemical significance of proteins. Our data showed that TEP and CSP concentrations were enriched in the SML compared with the underlying waters in most cases. The ubiquitous presence of empty diatom frustules in the samples indicates that the collapse of a diatom bloom was the source of the exopolymers. Further, we conducted image analysis of particle size and abundance, which indicated that TEP and CSP are not the same particles and form distinct populations in the ocean. Our data confirm recent observations indicating that TEP are an important component of the SML. In addition, these data show that CSP are also important components of the SML.