Determinants of pelagic metabolism in the Timor Sea during the inter-monsoon period
The Timor Sea is a major conduit of the Indonesian Throughflow characterised by large internal waves and tides. To ascertain whether these result in high pelagic productivity, we conducted experiments to determine the metabolic balance between net community production (NCP) and community respiration (CR) on the Sahul Shelf, the Sahul Shoals and the Yampi Shelf, an area of active hydrocarbon seeps. The barrier to vertical mixing of subthermocline nutrients represented by the halocline allowed new production to dominate in March 2004, whereas production in June 2005 depended on recycled nutrients. CR was correlated with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in 2004, but with chlorophyll in 2005, suggesting that respiration was dominated by microheterotrophs in 2004 but by autotrophs in 2005. Overall, area-specific CR averaged 120 ± 92 (s.d.), 101 ± 52 and 61 ± 6 mmol O2 m–2 day–1, NCP averaged 109 ± 85 (s.d.), 32 ± 41 and 57 ± 10 mmol O2 m–2 day–1, and average gross primary production (= CR+NCP) : R ratios were 1.9, 1.4 and 1.9 on the shelf, at the Sahul Shoals and the Yampi Shelf, respectively. We suggest that differences in water column structure and internal wave activity drive intermittent high production events in a predominantly oligotrophic sea.