Rhizoplegma boreale (Radiolaria): A tracer for mesoscale eddies from coastal areas

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The impact of mesoscale eddies on the production of radiolarian species Rhizoplegma boreale in the central subarctic Pacific was investigated through analysis of sinking particle fluxes collected using sediment-trap and altimetry data from satellite observations. Altimetry observations provided the locations of mesoscale eddies in time and space and indicated that mesoscale eddies propagating around sediment trap Station SA were closely related to the high R. boreale fluxes at the station. The mesoscale eddies likely provided the deep-sea region of the central subarctic Pacific with coastal nutrient-rich waters derived from the region around the Aleutian Islands, and influenced the productivity of microzooplankton groups at Station SA.